What Do You Want?
by Peneia Teke
Summary: [AU] Tea Gardner has always seen Seto Kaiba as an arrogant, antisocial bastard with a heart of ice, and he seems to feel mutual about her nosy 'cheerleader' qualities. Maybe that's why the two always argue, or maybe it's something deeper...
1. Chapter One

**Peneia Teke**: Ahh! The start of another story. What fun!

**Kaiba**: ... Or not.

**PT**: Oh, quiet you. You have a big part in this.

**Kaiba**: I have a big part in _all_ your stories.

**PT**: That's because I like you! I have to give you big parts!

**Kaiba**: ...

**PT**: (clears throat) Anyway, as you probably know, this is a Seto/Tea fic that I started on a whim, and it'll probably only have two or three chapters. Ok, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh and never will, so stop asking me!

_Kaiba's Thoughts_

"Blah, blah." someone talking

* * *

**Chapter One** **

* * *

**

"Hey Kaiba, wanna go to the arcade with us after school?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

There was a roll of the eyes and then the figure spoke. "Listen Yugi, we aren't 'friends' and we never will be, got it? So, I'd appreciate it if you'd cut your persistant nagging and _leave_ me alone." He shook his head in annoyance and left the room, glaring at anyone who dared to step in his path. Yugi watched him go for a moment and then pushed back his chair and stood up.

"Yuge, why do you always do it?"

Yugi glanced sideways at the tall blonde adjacent from him who was also standing, stretching his aching limbs from having to sit all day in classes. "Do what, Joey?"

"Ya know," the blonde boy continued, "ask Kaiba if he wants ta hang wid us all the time. I mean, the guy's about as screwed up as you can get."

Yugi heaved a sigh of defeat and turned his head back in the direction Kaiba had gone. The tall CEO was no longer in sight. "Yeah, I know, Joey, but that's why I try to be nice to him. All he does when he's not at school is work in his office. He doesn't have any real friends. I just feel sorry for him."

"So, ya only do it outta pity?" Joey grinned.

Yugi shrugged. "I guess so."

The blonde began to chuckle. "Boy, what I wouldn't give to see the look on 'ole Moneybag's face if he'd heard you say that, Yuge."

"Joey," Yugi warned, "It's not funny. And besides, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know Yugi, I was jus' playin'," Joey said, trying to hide the grin that wanted to spread across his face. "It's jus' that, Kaiba HATES getting sympathy-especially from _you_."

"Yeah," the small boy admitted. "I just wish he'd open up to other people, besides his little brother I mean. Not us necessarily, but it can't be healthy to be so..."

"Antisocial," Joey finished for him. Yugi just nodded and smiled sadly. "Listen Yugi, if Kaiba's eva really wanted someone ta talk to, you've given him plenty of chances." Joey said, "There's nothin' more you can do, pal." He shrugged his shouldersindifferently but after seeing the look on Yugi's face added, "I dunno, maybe he'll come around yet. Ya jus' neva know wid da guy."

"I guess," Yugi said doubtfully. He gathered his books in his arms and walked slowly towards the door. The final bell had already rung, dismissing school for the day.

"Aw come on, bud," Joey smiled, "You're thinkin' too much about this whole Kaiba thing. Let's get ta our lockers, so we can meet Tea and the guys (Tristan, Duke, and Ryou) outside like we promised."

**Kaiba's POV**

Uh, I can't believe Yugi had the nerve to ask me to hang out with them-_again_. What's with that kid? Ever since the end of Battle City he's been trying to get me to be friends with him and his little fan club. Ha! That's a laugh. As if _I'd_ ever 'hang out' with morons like Wheeler and his lackey, Tristan. I swear they _try _to think up ways to embarrass themselves.

Not that the others are much better. Devlin has an annoying habit of always stating the obvious at just the wrong time; Valentine... well, I won't even get into her; the dog's sister, Serenity, is incredibly naïve and way too dependent on her brother. Bakura has a weird obsession with his ring and a split personality issue.

Yugi of course is a total push over and way too friendly. Plus, he's been getting on my nerves a lot over the last couple days. Not to mention he's the one duelist who's ever—_beaten_ me.

Gardner is the only halfway normal one in the group, but her attitude drives me insane. She's far too nosy for her own good and puts everyone to sleep with her little 'friendship' speeches. Feh. What a pathetic concept. The only way to get something done is to do it yourself. Friends will just hold you back.

None of them are worthy of my time.

As I left the room, I could hear Wheeler asking Yugi why he was always trying to be nice to me. _Pathetic mutt_. I don't think he's come to realize how loud his voice is or how far it carries. Heh. I don't think he realizes just how incredibly _dumb_ he is either, not that it's any of my concern.

I was almost intrigued enough to stay and listen to Yugi's answer but decided I had better things to do with my time. Besides, it's not like I care what that sniveling, little wimp thinks of me, anyway.

I made it to my locker in record time as the dismissal bell was ringing. Yeah, so I left class a little early. Who really gives a shit? It's not like I need to be here in the first place. It's mostly just a big waste of my time. The only thing enjoyable about it is watching Wheeler's face contort in anger as I whisper insults to him during class. Call me a bastard, but there's just something satisfying about mocking him when he can only sit there and growl like the dog he's proven himself to be. Of course, Gardner butts in once in a while. She glares at me (if you can really call it that) and tells me I should be nice to Joey because he's her friend. Ch. What's he being her friend got to do with anything?

When the combination failed to work I growled and slammed my fist into my locker . _Stupid useless things_. They always refuse to open when you're going to be late to class, or if you're in a hurry to get out of the building; especially if it's a Friday, which was what today was. I was looking forward to spending some time with Mokuba and maybe starting the new project I'd been planning, but of course, all that's hard to do if you're stuck at school with a locker that won't open.

I was just pulling my arm back to give it a piece of my mind when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I spun around to glare at whoever had interrupted me and noticed Gardner with a small smile on her lips. "What do you want?" I growled in annoyance.

"Having problems?" she asked innocently as if she really _cared_ or something.

"What's it to _you_?" I asked with more force than was probably necessary. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with her and wanted to make that clear, especially after what happened last night.

**Flashback (Normal POV)**-

Kaiba glanced down at his laptop, typing quickly in hopes of finishing the report for his latest advancement in the duel disk system. He was trying to create a smaller version of the one he'd used in his Battle City tournament. A cool breeze picked up, blowing his chocolate colored hair in his face, and he paused for a moment to brush it away. He'd been having a hard time focusing and decided he needed a change of scenery, so he'd ended up bringing his laptop to the park. It was growing dark, and he realized that he'd been sitting at the same picnic bench for almost three and a half hours; Mokuba was probably wondering where he was. Kaiba smiled at the thought of his younger, raven haired brother. He was the sole reason for his being, the inspiration Kaiba had to face the world each day.

The two brothers had spent many hardships together but had always been able to help each other pull through. Kaiba thought back to when he'd found Mokuba in Maximillion Pegasus' dungeon. He could still remember the way the little boy's face lit up as he exclaimed, "Big brother! You're here! You're here!" Then his thoughts darkened as he remembered how helpless he'd felt when he could do nothing to rescue his little brother.

Kaiba shook his head groggily to chase the thoughts away. _That's in the past_, he chided himself, _Mokuba's safe and that's all that matters._ He sighed and went back to his work, but no sooner had he begun typing again when he heard the faint sound of someone running. He glanced up and caught the silhouette of a figure racing pass him, toward the bridge that overlooked Domino River. The figure ran under a park lamp and the light illuminated her features. Kaiba narrowed his steely blue eyes in recognition. It was Tea Gardner; one of Yugi Motou's little friends. She had her head bent down and appeared to be upset about something.

Tea ran blindly toward the railing of the bridge andall butthrew her body toward it, reaching out with her hands to stop herselffrom collidinginto it. She leaned far over the bars and gazed down into the calming blue water as tears streamed down her face and distorted her reflection with ring droplets. Finally, unable to keep a cry from erupting, she buried her face in her arms and began sobbing uncontrollably.

Kaiba watched the scene with his head cocked slightly in amusement. He had never seen Tea Gardner cry, and it gave him some sort of sick satisfaction to know he wasn't the only one with problems.

After putting his laptop away, Kaiba sighed and casually walked toward the general direction of the bridge. He felt as if he were moving in slow motion and asked himself what exactly he intended to do. He scoffed at the thought of taking time out of his schedule to associate himself with a friend of _Yugi's_. The girl's problems weren't any of his concern. _Because it's what Mokuba would want me to do_, he finally decided.

Kaiba walked up and leaned on the railing next to her, waiting impatiently for her to realize he was there. When she didn't look up he began tapping his fingers impatiently on the wooden railing, the sound causing her head to jerk up. She glared at him furiously. "What do you want?" she snapped.

Kaiba scowled at her and growled, "I couldn't concentrate on my work with all the noise you were making, Gardner. Don't you have any decency?"

"Not towards you," she growled back. Then she turned her back on him and gazed down again at the cool, dark water.

"So," Kaiba continued, ignoring her last comment, "what's gotten you so upset that you had to disturb every civilized being within a twenty mile radius with your bemoaning?"

Tea answered him without turning around, "One: I wasn't crying, and two: why would you _care_ anyway?"

"One: you could have fooled me, and two: I _don't_ 'care', but I might as well find out the reason for my lost train of thought, which is, of course, your fault," Kaiba mocked sarcastically.

"And why would I ever tell you any of my problems?" Tea shot back.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes coldly and spun on his heel. "Whatever. Do what you'd like," he snapped. Then, without a backward glance at Tea, he picked up his brief case and strode angrily in the opposite direction.

He found himself fuming at the brown haired girl and had to take a deep breath to calm his nerves. What was it about her that always put him in these foul moods? Was it the fact that she was one of the few people who actually dared to stand up to him? God! All he'd done was ask her a simple question. Was it that much of a deal that she had to get all worked up like that?

He'd never understand women-_ever_; their minds were a mystery. Kaiba smirked, grateful for having a little brother and not a sister.

After he'd blown off his steam (or at least all that he could afford to) he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called his driver to pick him up. He wasn't in the mood for walking home at this point. He stopped at a corner by a street lamp to wait for his driver to arrive. He sighed in frustration and leaned up against the post while the fluorescent lighting illuminated his features, making him appear worn and tired.

When the limo finally arrived, Kaiba climbed inside and ordered his driver to head back to the mansion. He turned his head and gazed at the passing landscape through the window. After a few minutes, the driver, whether by coincidence or something else, passed by the bridge that Kaiba had met Tea on. The young CEO narrowed his eyes as his gaze fell upon the silhouette of the girl still standing by the railing, looking down at the water. Then he snapped his eyes away in disgust and preceded to stare straight ahead for the remainder of the ride.

* * *

"Big Brother!" Kaiba glanced down in time to see a mop of shaggy black attach itself to his legs. 

Kaiba smiled fondly at his ten year old brother and bent down to give him a hug. "Hey kiddo."

"Where were you, Seto?" the young boy asked, gazing up at Kaiba with shimmering, curious blue eyes.

Kaiba frowned slightly, "Nowhere, Mokuba. Just needed a change of scenery."

Mokuba opened his mouth as if to say something, thought better of it, and shut it again. Then he cocked his head at his brother and shrugged. "Well, ok." There was a pause. "Are you going to eat something, Seto? It's almost eight thirty."

He turned away from Mokuba abruptly and said, "No. I still have a lot of work to do."

The little boy watched Kaiba head up the stairs to his room/office with worried eyes. It wasn't good for his brother to work himself so hard all the time.

* * *

An hour later Kaiba found that he once again couldn't concentrate on his work. An image of Tea's miserable face popped into his head, and he couldn't seem to block it out. He frowned deeply, causing wrinkles to blemish his perfectly smooth skin. Then he growled in annoyance. Damn his conscious. He thought he'd gotten rid of it years ago, but apparently it still lingered, waiting to strike when he least expected. 

Finally, he did something that he would have laughed at the thought of earlier in the day. He picked up the phone and dialed Tea's number, though why he knew it in the first place was a mystery to him. After a few rings, a tired sounding woman answered, "Hello?"

"Is Tea Gardner available?" he rambled off emotionlessly.

The woman, startled by his deep, raspy voice, hesitated before asking, "Are you a friend of hers?"

Kaiba growled quietly in frustration. "Is Gar-is _Tea _available or not?" he demanded impatiently.

"Uh yeah, hang on a moment, please," the woman spoke hurriedly.

Kaiba mentally rolled his eyes and waited until Tea picked up and answered in the perky voice he detested so much, "Hello?"

"Gardner."

"Kaiba." Her tone immediately changed to match the coldness in his. "What do you want?"

"To clear my damn conscience," he retorted and hung up without waiting for her response. He leaned back in his chair and smirked in satisfaction. He'd done what he'd set out to do. Tea was home and obviously back to her normal bitchy self.

On the other end, Tea eyed the phone suspiciously for a moment as if it could answer her unasked questions and hung up her phone in confusion. What had that been about? Even for a conversation with Kaiba (or lackthereof), it'd been extremely weird. She sat down on her bed and chuckled to herself. She never realized Kaiba even _had_ a conscience.

**End Flashback (Kaiba's POV)**-

Before I could turn back to my 'problem', she had pushed nosily passed me and was furiously spinning the combination with her small delicate hands. She had it open before I even realized what she was doing and turned back to me with a grin before skipping off to join her friends, who had accumulated at the entrance. I watched her movements with mild fascination as she chatted animatedly with Yugi, not sparing me a second glance before shaking my head and gathering the books I'd need for the weekend. I smirked to myself as I realized that I may have a new stalker. I still don't know how she knew my combination.

After glancing at her once more, I grabbed my briefcase and headed off toward the north side of school where my chauffer would be waiting.

I strode down the hall and shoved through a group of students, who were stretched across the entire length of the hallway. On normal circumstances I try to make as little social interaction as humanly possible, which isn't hard because most people scatter when I walk by. Unfortunately, there was no way to avoid these morons.

One boy I pushed aside had the nerve to kick out at me and yell, "Yeah! Keep walking, Kaiba!" God, now that I think about it he sounded a lot like Wheeler. I heard the distinct sound of gasps from the other bystanders before total silence fell over us. I froze in mid stride and turned slowly to give the jerkoff a chance to regret his actions. Then I caught the kid's eye and gave him my 'I'm-really-pissed-so-f-off-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you' glare. He seemed to melt before me and got all fidgety. Life's funny like that.

"I would watch where you put your foot next time," I growled, "or you may very well find a law suit on your hands."

I smirked as I turned on my heel and strode down the length of the hallway, having no problems with the remaining school populace. Maybe I should write a book on how to deal with imbecilic morons. I'll call it: _The Kaiba Way_. Hehe. Bet'd make millions; not that I need it.

I pushed open the large steel doors and squinted as sunlight beat down on me. I glanced around for my ride and groaned in frustration at my turn of luck. Yugi and the Geek Squad... Great...

"Hey, Kaiba," Yugi greeted me with his innocent smile.

Uh. It can't be natural to be that perky _all_ the time. "What do you want, Yugi? We just saw each other a few minutes ago in class." Like hell I was going to speak to him if I didn't have to.

"Uh, right. Well, last chance to hang out with us."

"Yuge, why're ya-oaff! I mean, uh, yeah. Hang out wid us, Kaiba. It'll be lots of, uh, fun... and stuff..."

In your dreams you sniveling wannabe. "Heh. Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid I have to decline." I said, "I'd rather do just about _anything_ else than hang out with the likes of you. Like stick needles through my eye for instance."

"Well, that's a big surprise..."

"Joey," the tone was a soft warning.

"What?"

Then the _girl_ began speaking. "Come on, Kaiba. Can't you drop the act for just a few hours and partake in the activities of a normal teenager for once?"

Ooh, Gardner's expanded her vocabulary. "I don't 'act'."

"You know what I mean; striding around like you're so much better than everyone else and that the world revolves around you."

"Like I said; I don't _act_."

I watched in amusement as Gardner raised her hands above her head and sighed in defeat, "Just forget it."

_God, she's hot when she's angry. _

I growled in annoyance as the thought flitted into my head, but I didn't try to deny it. I may be a cold hearted jerk as so many have informed me, but I'm still a guy, and I'm _not_ gay.

"What kind of activities would you have me partake in?" I asked to Gardner's retreating back. She whirled around and looked up at me in surprise as did Yugi, Wheeler, Taylor, Devlin, and Bakura, clearly expecting any answer than that. I didn't bother to hide my smirk.

"Uh...going to the arcade, or mall, or maybe the movies..." she named the activities off on her fingers, looking me directly in the eye as she spoke.

I put a finger to my chin, pretending to consider her proposal. "Hmm...sounds interesting."

"Really?" There was genuine surprise in her tone, and she looked almost hopeful...or maybe that was just my imagination.

"No." The looks on all their faces were priceless, and I chuckled to myself as I pushed pass them. "Oh, and don't forget you owe me for last night, Gardner," I added over my shoulder.

"What?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"I couldn't get any work done because of you." I stopped and smirked at her. "Of course, I'm always willing to accept compensation." I deliberately trailed off, allowing her to fill in the blanks I'd made so obviously clear.

Her mouth dropped, and she narrowed her eyes angrily, "Why you chauvinist pig! I swear when I get my hands on you-"

"Getting a bit ahead of ourselves, aren't we?" I interrupted smugly. "I know you can't resist me, but you should really learn to control those urges." The rest of the guys were glancing back and forth between us in amazement, all except Yugi who seemed slightly worried and Wheeler who just looked pissed.

"Kaiba!" she shrieked, "You're soo dead!" She lunged at me but Wheeler and Taylor stopped her before she got very far.

"I'm sure," I replied with a grin. Chuckling under my breath, I made it to the limo without further interruptions and slid into the back seat. "Home," I ordered my chauffer once I was comfortably situated. He nodded and we drove off without further conversation.

* * *

**PT**: Just a note: I like all the characters I have Kaiba make fun of in this story, but please realize that it's _him _speaking for most of this chapter and not me. I'm just trying to portray him as he would act in the show. I hope you liked the first chapter, and please leave a review when you're done. It'd be most greatly appreciated. Oh, and remember, this story's only going to be two or three chapters long, so yeah. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Peneia Teke**: Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update. School's been relentless and writer's block has been a killer. However, the little plot bunny came to the rescue and hacked my writer's block into little pieces. Well, for now at least. Those writers' blocks can regenerate themselves, you know.

Thank you soooooooooo much to everyone who reviewed! It makes it so much more fun to write a story when you know people are reading and enjoying it, so thank you, _thank you_, THANK YOU!

**Disclaimer**: I do not in any way own the anime known as Yu-Gi-Oh, so you can all rest easy.

* * *

**Chapter Two

* * *

**

Kaiba paced his office deep in conversation. His stormy blue eyes narrowed slightly and his brows furrowed in anger at the moron on the other line. He'd been on his cell for less than ten minutes and was steadily wishing he could strangle his employee's neck. He was more than ready to wrap up the conversation. "I don't give a damn what the orders from your superiors were. _I'm_ telling you to have those files on my desk by 4:30 or find your ass out on the street," he growled dangerously, stalking over to his recliner.

"_Please understand my position, sir. I-I don't have them at the moment." _The voice on the other end was getting desperate.

"That's your problem." he snarled, "I'm running a company not a day care. I don't have time to clean up your messes."

"_Just give me one more day, Mr. Kaiba, and I swear I'll have the files!" _

The corners of his lips turned up in a dark grin; he loved the feeling of dominance over his employees. "You have my orders, Whitler. I won't repeat myself again." With that final threat, he snapped his cell phone shut and shoved it back into his coat pocket with a low growl. _Why must I be surrounded by incompetent morons_?

A soft knock at the door was the answer to his unspoken question, and a short man in his late forties poked his head into the room. He'd obviously overheard the conversation and appeared extremely nervous, though Kaiba couldn't exactly say he blamed him. "Mr. Kaiba?" the man asked; his voice shook slightly. "Did I interrupt something, sir?"

The young CEO barely spared him a glance. "What is it?"

"Um, a man from Yuko Industries is here to speak with you about a contract, though he failed to mention any details." He spoke rapidly, unwilling to trigger another bout of Kaiba's explosive temper, which he'd been dishing out in generous portions lately.

Blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I don't recall being informed of this. Does he have an appointment?"

The grey haired man fidgeted. "No sir." There was a pause. "Shall I send him up?"

Kaiba allowed his eyes to rest on his associate, who flinched as if he were about to be hit. Then he waved his hand dismissively. "No, I have too much shit to deal with as it is."

"Of course, Mr. Kaiba." He hastily bowed and hurried out of the room.

At last left to the sanctity of his office, Kaiba sat down at his desk and began typing at his laptop. _Tick, tick, tick_. The noise around him fell silent as he focused on his work, and the rhythmic droning of the keys lulled him into a familiar sense of security. _Tick, tick, tick_.Work seemed to be the only thing in his life that he could always count on being there. Of course, there was Mokuba, but the kid was growing up before his eyes, and he had no power to slow down the process. He liked the feeling of superiority-he _needed_ to be in control.

He paused and let his eyes drift to the large window beyond his desk. Something wasn't settling right with him.

He shuddered involuntarily when an image of Tea's bright blue eyes and smiling face shimmered through his mind. _Stupid girl_. He scowled and shook his head to chase away the thoughts. Ok, so he'd admitted that Tea was hot, but there was no way in hell he'd ever think of her as anything more than one of Yugi's little groupies. Besides, she'd made it perfectly clear that she didn't want anything to do with him; she thought of him as nothing more than a heartless bastard.

Kaiba was interrupted from his musings by the sound of scuffing feet on the hard tile flooring, shattering the revered silence he'd become accustomed to and causing his teeth to grind in annoyance. What did the idiots want now? Suddenly, the door burst open, and a tall, well built man tumbled into the room, followed shortly by three of Kaiba's security guards. They charged forward and tackled the man into an arm hold, but Kaiba stopped them in their tracks. "That's enough! What do you imbeciles think you're doing?" he growled angrily.

One of the guards looked slightly taken aback. "Sir, this man somehow managed to break through our security, and we couldn't have him up here causing disturbances."

"Too late for that," he replied dryly. "I suggest that you three release him before I lose my temper." The men immediately backed off and stood uneasily by the door. "Now, get out!" he barked. They didn't have to be told twice and quickly vanished from sight.

Kaiba put a hand to his head and began massaging his temple. "I would have expected someone of your status to have better security than that, Mr. Kaiba," the man said cheerfully, standing up and lightly brushing himself off.

"And you're a very foolish, desperate man to be trying a stunt like that in _my_ facility," Kaiba snapped, eyes flashing. "What the hell do you want?"

The man sized Kaiba up, judging him. At last he smiled and said, "My name's Rakion Yuko; President and Representative of Yuko Industries." He extended his hand, but Kaiba only stared at it in disgust. "I was hoping to borrow a few minutes of your time to discuss terms of a possible partnership between our companies."

"Hn. Whatever." The young CEO glanced at his watch. "You have five minutes to impress me, so I suggest you start talking before I change my mind and have you 'escorted' outside where you belong," he replied coldly.

Yuko pulled out a sealed white envelope from inside his coat. "I know you're a busy man, Mr. Kaiba, so I'll make this brief. I would like you to imagine yourself in a position where you have the respect and admiration of every powerful business corporation in the world, where you're known as the brilliant, young genius of the gaming world. You'd like that wouldn't you?" Kaiba just grunted, and the older man grinned knowingly. "It's a given that, and this is if you were to accept the contract of course, you would remain President and CEO of Kaiba Corporation and continue the manufacturing and marketing of duel monster technology and merchandise."

"Get to the point, Yuko," Kaiba growled, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Of course," the man replied. "To be blunt Yuko Industries would like an equal share in Kaiba Corporation, which natrually includes control of the sale prices and distribution of the merchandise marketing. Any profits recieved will be split in a 40/60 ratio with you recieving the latter."

There was a short pause, and then Kaiba gave a dry chuckle. "You don't really want a partnership, do you? You just want the Kaiba name. Well let me tell _you_ something about-"

Yuko was saved from further tongue lashing by the buzzing of the intercom on the office wall. "What is it?" Kaiba growled at his secretary after he'd fumbled to turn on the speaker.

He could hear her sigh from the other line as she replied in a bored tone, "Mr. Kaiba, your _little brother_ would like to see you. Do you want me to send him up?" Kaiba paused for a moment, mildly surprised at the woman's courage to speak to him the way she did; especially when he was in a bad mood. How long had this one been around? Obviously quite awhile, and he couldn't even remember her name... "Mr. Kaiba?" The secretary's tone had changed to one of curiosity.

Annoyed at being caught off guard Kaiba snapped, "You know very well he doesn't need my permission to come up here."

"Yes sir," she replied sarcastically. "I only use it as an excuse to hear your cheerful voice. Always brightens my day." There was a sharp click, and the line went silent. Kaiba narrowed his eyes and glared at the intercom but turned his head to the door when he heard the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs. A small boy with shaggy, raven colored hair burst into the room and launched himself into Kaiba's arms.

"Hi, Seto!" he exclaimed, panting slightly.

Kaiba grinned down at his brother and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Hey, kid." He cocked his head at Mokuba and frowned slightly. "Did something happen? You look like you just ran a marathon."

They little boy grinned sheepishly and replied, "I ran up the stairs." Enough said. He'd obviously not waited for the secretary's 'ok'.

"Why didn't you take the elevator?"

"I dunno. I didn't want to."

"Ahem." The brotherly greeting was interrupted by an impatient cough, and Mokuba looked up, noticingYuko for the first time.

"Oh, hello," he sang out cheerfully. "I didn't know I was interrupting a meeting."

"Yes, that's quite alright, young man. My name's-"

"He's no one of importance," Kaiba cut in rudely, giving Yuko an icy glare. There was an awkward silence, and Mokuba glanced from one to the other, sensing the tension that had enveloped between them.

"Well, I can see that we are not going to agree, so I'll just leave this with you and be getting on my way," Yuko said, dropping the white, unopened envelope on Kaiba's desk.

"I think that's the first thing we've had a mutual understanding on, Yuko," Kaiba sneered, "It's just too bad that it took you fifteen minutes of my valuable time to figure it out."

The business man walked to the door but turned and added over his shoulder, "Please take the time to read over the contract and get back to me on your decision."

"I wouldn't bother reading that worthless piece of shit if someone paid me," he replied coldly as he watched Yuko exit with a smirk. Then he turned to his little brother, eyes softening. "So, how was school today?"

Mokuba grinned and began chatting animatedly; ignoring the fact that Kaiba had just brought another business man to the mercy of his temper. He was too used to his brother's mood swings to be affected by them, though he knew they made everyone else nervous. "It was great! This animal guy came and showed us these really cool snakes. I even got to pet one of 'em!"

Kaiba's skin crawled slightly at the mention of snakes, but he brushed it off and put on a fake smile for his brother. "That's very ah... interesting, Mokuba."

"Yeah, I know you don't really like snakes, big brother, but these ones were awesome. They were _ginormous_ and wrapped around the guy's arms."

"Mmm..."

Mokuba sensed his brother's discomfort and decided to change the subject. "Oh yeah, John wanted me to spend the night tonight. Is that ok?"

"Who?" Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow.

"John White; I just met him this year. He's in my English class, and he's from _California_! Isn't that cool, Seto?"

Kaiba nodded slowly and asked, "Is it ok with his parents?"

"Yup."

"How much homework do you have?"

"Um... just a little bit of math and some spelling, but it won't take that long."

"Ok," Kaiba replied. "I still have some work to finish up here, but I'll send for Roland, and he can take you to the mansion to get your things."

"Yeah! Thank you, big brother!" Mokuba shouted, hugging Kaiba around his middle. The young CEO just smiled warmly.

"What time does he want you to come over?"

"Uh... He said he doesn't care, but we were thinking around 5:00."

"Ok, that sounds good." He brought out his cell phone and dialed a number. "It's me. I need you to pick up Mokuba and bring him back to the mansion."

"_Of course, Mr. Kaiba. I assume he's with you at Kaiba Corporation?"_

"Yes."

"_Alright. I'll be there in ten minutes, sir."__

* * *

_

The crisp night air smelled fresh and clean as Kaiba strode down the sidewalk toward his mansion. He found he preferred walking home to taking the limo as it cleared his mind after a grueling day. Plus he enjoyed the quiet and cover of darkness when there was no one out to question him. Contrary to popular belief, Seto Kaiba actually liked being outdoors, but he preferred to keep this little piece of information to himself. In his mind it was a weakness of sorts and weaknesses were never to be flaunted.

Kaiba sighed and glanced up at the bright stars scattered across the navy sky. He felt a bit disappointed that Mokuba wouldn't be home when he arrived, but he was glad that his brother was finally making friends his own age. Since being adopted by their cruel stepfather, Gozaburo, Mokuba had been somewhat reclusive toward others. Not as badly as Kaiba himself but certainly more than other children his age. It made Kaiba loathe his adopted father with even greater intensity. He grinned wickedly as he reminded himself that he'd risen above the old man in every way possible: from taking control of his company and driving everyone he cared about against him to eventually causing the fool to jump out his own office window. Kaiba had triumphed and the old man had failed; simple as that.

A cool breeze stirred, blowing his chocolate colored hair gently into his eyes. He bent his head slightly and brushed the stray pieces of hair aside. Then his eyes narrowed as they fell on the silhouette of a figure walking toward him. He couldn't make out who it was, but the figure didn't look big enough to be any kind of a threat, and he continued forward at his usual brisk pace. Why someone was walking around outside this late at night, he didn't know, but whoever it was didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to get anywhere fast.

When Kaiba was finally close enough to recognize the figure, a small smirk marred his handsome features. It was Tea Gardner of all people, and she was out wandering the street in the middle of the night, totally unprotected, and completely _alone_. Kaiba couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the girl without her little group of friends. Except for the other night of course, but he wasn't quite sure if that really counted.

It was obvious that Tea hadn't seen Kaiba yet as her eyes were fixed on the texturedpavement before her.

"What the hell are _you_ doing out here, Gardner?" Kaiba asked with a raised eyebrow, though it couldn't be seen in the dark. "Especially at this hour of the night?" Tea's head whipped up and she stopped abruptly in surprise. She didn't even need to see the figure to know exactly who he was. His deep, raspy voice was a dead giveaway. Kaiba stopped directly in front of her and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer.

"What does it look like, Kaiba?" she snapped, "I'm walking." She sidestepped, preparing to move around him, but he mirrored her motions and blocked her path.

"Who said you could go anywhere?" he mocked arrogantly.

"Please don't, Kaiba," Tea muttered, "I'm not in the mood for this right now."

Kaiba sneered. He'd been pissed off all day, and now was the perfect opportunity to vent some of his pent up frustrations on his main rival's best friend. A little voice in his head, presumably his conscience, chided him for his actions and warned him that what he was doing wasn't very nice, but he just ignored it like he always did.

"What do you want?" Tea growled, crossing her arms across her chest as well and tilting her head back to glare Kaiba in the eyes.

"Isn't it a little dangerous for a girl of your caliber to be out here all alone?" He asked, ignoring her question. Then he smirked. "Where anything could happen to you?" He took a step closer and Tea took a step back.

"Are you planning on doing something with me, Kaiba?"

He scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, Gardner. There's nothing about you that I could possibly want."

"Get out of my way," Tea snapped angrily. Although she hated to admit it, Kaiba's comment had hurt, but there was no way she'd let him have the satisfaction of knowing it. She shoved him in the chest to get him to move, but it did no good. He grabbed her arm before she could go anywhere.

"On the other hand..." he murmured, clutching her forearm and rubbing it gently with his thumb. She froze, rooted to the spot and glanced up at him with wide, fearful blue eyes. He could feel her arm tense up under his touch, and smiled to himself at the dominancy he held over her. "Do I make you nervous, Gardner?" he asked huskily. Tea's knees felt weak and began to tremble slightly. "I think I've won this round," he mocked softly.

That snapped Tea out of her stupor, and she pulled away from him in disgust. "This is all just a game to you isn't it, Seto Kaiba?" she demanded furiously. How dare he toy with her feelings!

Kaiba gave her a sly grin. "Yes." Then he pushed passed her, causing her to stumble and nearly loose her balance. She watched with a look of pure disgust as he strode away, trench coat whipping out behind him.Her eyes narrowedin anger, and she stomped off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Later that night, Tea lay in bed and stared up at her ceiling. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was fully awake and functioning. Instead of forcing herself to sleep, she thought back to her run in with Kaiba and began analyzing it. Not that there was much to analyze. It had been obvious that Kaiba had had a bad day and had used her as a means of distraction. It had all been just a twisted little game. 

Suddenly Tea's eyes widened. If it had all been an act, then why had his touch been so gentle? It was almost like he'd been afraid of hurting her. She shook her head in disgust. She was thinking too much about the ordeal.

After nearly two hours of lying awake in bed, her eyes began to feel heavy, and she rolled over and drifted into a light sleep.

* * *

**PT**: Well, that was fun! I hope you all enjoyed it. I know it wasn't the most exciting of chapters, but I'll get more into the Tea/Seto parts soon enough. Oh, I almost forgot. Yesterday, I heard this YGO music clip about Kaiba from the YGO movie, and I really thought it fit him well. It's called 'You're Not Me', and I've only heard part of it, but here it is anyway. 

_You think I've got it all,_

_Everyone thinks I've got it made well,_

_How come my only friends are the ones I pa-ay?_

_No one understands_

_What I would do to change my life_

_For just one day._

_Don't say if I were you,_

_Or tell me what to do;_

_How things would be if you were in my shoes._

It's kinda sad, but I think that's what Kaiba must feel under all that ice. Well, please leave a review on your way out. They really brighten my day, and I'll try to update soon.


	3. Chapter Three

**Peneia Teke**: Hey! Sorry for the long update, but I'm finally getting chapter three up, so be happy!

Thank you soooooo much for all the reviews. Like I said before, it makes it so much more fun to write a story when you can read peoples' comments.

I think I forgot to mention ages before, so here they are now.

Kaiba – **18** (Senior)

Tea, Joey, Tristan, Bakura – **17** (Junior)

Yugi – **16** (Sophomore)

Serenity – **15** (Freshman, though I don't think she'll be in here very much)

Mokuba – **11** (Grade 6)

I didn't know the names of Tea's parents, and I couldn't find a site that listed them, so I just made up my own names. Well, that's more than enough info for now, so go read the chapter!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! blah, blah, blah, blah.

* * *

**Chapter Three

* * *

**

The next morning Tea opened her eyes slowly, adjusting to the light seeping in through her window. She threw off the covers and stretched her arms above her head, yawning widely. The house was eerily silent as she trudged down the stairs and slowly made her way to the kitchen. She passed her parents, Erica and Dave, sitting at the kitchen table and froze when she heard the slightly angry, slightly distressed voice of her father calling for her. "Wait a minute, Tea. I think you owe your mother and me an explanation."

The petite, brunette girl turned slowly on her heel and regarded her father with questioning blue eyes. "Sit down," her father suggested, though it was more of a command. Tea did as she was told and sat down between her them.

"Where were you last night, Tea?" Erica asked tiredly.

"Out," she replied, not quite sure why she was being interrogated. She always went out on Friday nights after work.

"I mean," her mother clarified, taking a deep breath. "Where did you _go_ exactly?"

"I went to the movies with the guys like I always do," Tea replied defensively. "Where else do you think I'd be?"

"You didn't get back until well past one," Dave said, his voice rising in volume. "Which gives us reason to believe you did more than what you're letting on."

Tea raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Ok, so I wanted a little time to myself. Is that a crime?"

"Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young lady," he growled.

"A man, by the name of Roland, dropped this off earlier," Erica said stiffly through pursed lips, ignoring her daughter and husband's quarreling. "He said it was an order from his boss." Tea's mouth opened in surprise as her mother dropped her tan bag onto the table. _Oh shit_. Now she understood why her parents were so upset. It must've looked like she'd been over at a guy's house that whole time, but of course that was complete nonsense. She had no love life whatsoever. Tea screwed her eyebrows up as she tired to recall when and where she'd lost her bag.

"_This is all just a game to you isn't it, Seto Kaiba?" she demanded furiously._

_Kaiba gave her a sly grin. "Yes." Then he released her arm and pushed passed her, causing her to stumble and nearly loose her balance. She watched with a look of pure disgust as he strode away, trench coat whipping out behind him. Then she frowned in anger and stomped off in the opposite direction._

Tea's eyes widened in realization. She must have dropped it after Kaiba had pushed her, and she'd been so angry with him that she hadn't noticed. Great, _that _would go well with her parents. She frowned slightly. _But who's Roland? Oooooh yeah, Kaiba's driver_.

"Tea? Care to explain?"

The brunette sighed. "It's not what it seems," she began lamely. "I was walking home, and this jerk from school bumped into me, and he must have knocked my bag off my shoulder, and I was so mad at him that I didn't notice, and-"

"And just who was this 'jerk from school'?" her father asked suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tea hesitated but decided it was better to come out with the truth than face her parents' wrath later. "Seto Kaiba," she muttered. Her parents stared at her in dumb silence.

"_The _Seto Kaiba?" Dave asked.

Tea rolled her eyes. Why did everyone always refer to him by a title as if he was someone to be revered? It got annoying. "If you're referring to the arrogant, ruthless, cold hearted, selfish, power hungry, antisocial bastard that runs Kaiba Corporation, then yes. I'm talking about _that_ Seto Kaiba."

"Tea! That's not a very nice thing to say!" Erica exclaimed, surprised at her daughter's rudeness. "I thought we taught you better than that!"

"Yeah well, he's not a very nice person," she retorted, "and he always seems to bring out the worst in me."

"I'll have you know, Tea, that he donates millions of dollars a year to charities, and he's a very powerful and well respected businessman. I won't have you running your jaw about him in this house while I'm around," Dave chastised angrily.

"But daaad, you don't understand," Tea wined. She knew she was acting immature, but she didn't care. She had to get her parents to understand what a jackass Kaiba really was. "He's always insulting me and my friends, and he goes around completely ignoring everyone else. Like he's better than them."

"Well, maybe he's just shy," Erica put in. "I'm sure that if you got to know him, you'd find out he's not as bad as you think."

_Hello! Didn't I just get done saying that he goes around insulting my friends? Big clue that I'd never-in a million years-**ever** try to get along with Seto Kaiba._ "Mom, you don't get it!" Tea shouted in frustration. "Whenever we try to talk to him, he either gets on Yugi's case about a rematch duel, or he calls Joey a 'mutt', or a 'dog', _or_ if we're _really_ lucky he'll inform us that we're all a bunch of third class scumbags and to get the hell out of his way." She huffed and blew her bangs out of her eyes in annoyance.

"And has Joey or one of your other friends ever done anything to arouse this behavior?" Erica asked.

"No." She received a raised eyebrow in response. "Well ok, Joey does have fits around Kaiba once in a while, but he wasn't the one who initially started it!"

"Has Seto Kaiba ever done anything to _you_?" Dave asked calmly, leaning forward across the table to get a good look at his daughter.

Tea inwardly chuckled. _Let's see, where to begin_... "Well, mostly he just glares at me in the halls and calls me 'Yugi's cheerleader' or 'Mokuba's little friend' and stuff like that," she replied truthfully.

"Maybe he's jealous," he chuckled.

Tea wrinkled up her nose as if she'd just gotten a whiff of something dead and shook her head vigorously. "Dad, Kaiba only cares about Mokuba. His heart's as cold as ice."

"Everyone has emotions, honey, and from what you've told us, he sounds like a loner. I'm sure he's just jealous of the support you give to Yugi."

Tea glared daggers at her father. _From what I've **told** you, he sounds like a first class bastard_.

"If he doesn't pick on you directly then why do you help your friends fuel his temper?" Erica asked.

Tea threw her hands up in exasperation. She knew her parents were set on their views about the arrogant CEO. "Just forget it. You guys obviously don't understand." She picked up her bag and stomped toward the door but not before throwing over her shoulder, "Besides, it doesn't matter because I won't have to deal with him much longer anyway, will I?" She ran out the door.

_Stupid Kaiba_, she thought angrily. Everyone hated him. It was like an unwritten rule or something. He was rude, cold, and distant and everyone else avoided him because of it. Well, except maybe his drooling mobs of fan girls, but they didn't count. Her parents were just too thick to get it, and thanks to him she'd be in a boat load of trouble when she got home.

Tea hurried down the sidewalk toward Yugi's game shop but stopped short when she realized he didn't even know she was coming over. She reached in her bag for her phone, and her hand brushed against the crisp edge of a piece of paper. Curiously, she pulled it out and unfolded it. It read:

_Gardner,_

_Looks like I've won again. I helped myself to one of your possessions as compensation for_

_my trouble. Just remember, in the end, I always get what I want._

It wasn't signed, but Tea knew exactly who'd written it. With an angry cry, she tore her bag from her slender shoulder and began digging through it, momentarily forgetting about Yugi. _Damn you, you stupid jerk, _she thought furiously. Then she paused._ He needs a new name. 'Bastard' and 'jerk' wear off too easily. He needs something degrading to his status. _She grinned at this thought. _Nerd's pretty good. Or geek! Stupid computer geek who has nothing better to do than trifle through a girl's belongings! _She nearly giggled aloud at the thought of Kaiba's reaction to being called a 'nerd', but then her brow furrowed and she continued rummaging around in her bag_. Dammit! What'd he take, anyway_? Nothing seemed to be out of place. _Maybe Kaiba's just trying to mess with my head_. No, that wasn't it. Kaiba never joked around. He always had a reason for doing whatever twisted diabolical things he did.

She was almost willing to go right back home and shove the little note under her parents noses, so they could see the _real_ Seto Kaiba first hand. Not this pleasant, charitable, fake they'd made him out to be. Knowing them however, they'd brush it off as a prank from one of her friends. Life was just so unfair. _And it's all because he can be charming when he wants to be_, she thought darkly.

* * *

Kaiba sat in his recliner, holding his newly acquired prize. A cruel smirk made its way to his lips, and he let out a low chuckle. What fun this would be, toying with the Gardner girl's mind. He knew the object was important to her; he'd been very careful about what he'd chosen. 

"What are you doing, Seto?"

Kaiba snapped out of his thoughts and turned his eyes upon his raven haired kid brother, standing uncertainly by the door. His fingers closed around the small object in his hand possessively, but he smiled warmly at the little boy, forcing his posture to relax. "Nothing, Mokuba."

"Then can we go to the park today, big brother?" he asked hopefully, looking up at Kaiba with big, pleading eyes. The dreaded 'puppy dog eyes'; the one thing in the world Seto Kaiba always succumbed to. The ruthless CEO sighed and nodded his head in defeat. _Beaten by an eleven year old; how sad_. And yet, Mokuba was the only person in the world Kaiba was willing to sacrifice for.

Mokuba's face lit up with happiness, and he turned and made for the door. Kaiba dropped the precious object unceremoniously on his desk and stood up to follow his brother. He'd deal with it later.

* * *

_(Monday morning; Domino High) _

"Hi, Tea. What's wrong? You look upset about something." Tea glanced up in time to see her long time friend, Yugi, take a seat in the chair next to her. The clatter of footsteps on the hard tile floor, and the sound of Joey's obnoxious laughter told her that the blonde haired boy and Tristan weren't too far behind.

"Huh? Oh, nothing Yugi, I'm fine," she replied, doing her best to appear cheery. Yugi didn't buy the façade one bit but decided not to push it. Tea would tell him what was wrong when she was ready.

"Hey, Tea. How's it goin'?" Joey asked with a grin, pulling up a chair and sitting down in it backward. Tea could have sworn she saw the remnants of a blush tingeing his tan cheeks but brushed it off as the lighting.

Before she could answer Joey's question however, Tristan came over to their table, chuckling appreciativelyat something out of her understanding. "Hey guys, you'll never guess what Joey just did," he grinned, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder. He didn't wait long enough for an answer before plodding ahead. "He was trying to flirt with this Senior chick, right? And of course not paying any attention to anything around him," he had to take a steadying breath to keep from laughing, "and then he goes and runs head on into a pole!"

Joey's face flushed a deep red and he glared at Tristan, who was doubled over in laughter. "How was I supposed ta know the stupid thing was there?" he snapped defensively. "It jus' appeared outta nowhere!"

Tea was leaning over the desk trying to stifle her giggles, while Yugi sat still, surprisingly straight faced. "Don't worry, Joey," he replied seriously. "I'm sure the pole just moved at the last minute." That response was so unexpected it caused all four of them (Joey included) to erupt into another bout of laughter.

"Making a fool of yourself again, Wheeler?" a cold voice drawled, interrupting their playful banter. "Hn, well, that doesn't surprise me."

Joey's head snapped up and he glared daggers at the billionaire. "Grrrrrrrr, you don't know when to give it up do ya, Kaiba?"

"Heh. About as much as you know how to keep your mouth shut, Wheeler." he replied coolly, "And stop growling; it makes you sound like a dog." That sent Joey into a rant about how Kaiba was always calling him a 'mutt' or 'Chihuahua', but the powerful CEO was no longer listening. He'd locked eyes with Tea and smirked. Both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

She glared up at him in disgust. Thankfully, her friends didn't notice because at that moment the teacher walked in and strode to the front of the room. Class had officially begun.

* * *

"Are you sure something's not bothering you, Tea," Yugi asked quietly after the gang had sat down to lunch, later that day. 

Tea glanced up and flashed Yugi a bright smile. "I'm fine, Yugi. Why?"

"I dunno. You just seem kind of...distracted lately," he answered with a shrug. "Is there something going on that you're not telling us?"

"No."

"You know you can tell me-_us_ anything, right?"

"Of course, Yugi, and I hope you know that your friendship means the world to me."

"I know, Tea."

The moment was broken when Tea glanced over at Kaiba's table, face set in determination. He was sitting by himself at the most secluded table in the cafeteria, typing on his laptop like he did every day. She locked her jaw in anger and narrowed her bright blue eyes. Had anyone caught the look on her face, they would have thought it very un-Tea like behavior.

"Um, Yugi?" she asked, not removing her eyes from Kaiba's general direction. "I just remembered something I have to take care of, so I'll see you later, ok?" She left the table without waiting for a response, and stormed off toward Kaiba's table, her shoes clicking sharply as they hit the hard tile floor. Yugi's calm violet eyes followed her sadly. He had a feeling she had to solve this problem on her own, but it still hurt a little that she was refusing to tell him about it.

Kaiba heard the sound of approaching footsteps and glanced up with a scowl. When he realized it was Tea however, the corners of his mouth twitched into what would have undoubtedly been a grin had it been anyone else and went back to the task at hand. Tea glowered at him, hands on her hips as she watched him type. "What is it, Gardner?" he asked passively, his face once again hidden behind his emotionless mask.

"You know very well, Kaiba," she hissed dangerously. "You have something of mine, and I want it back."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied coldly.

"_I_ think you do," she retorted, digging out the note and shoving it under his nose. "What's this?"

He glared at her. "A piece of paper, moron."

"I _know _what it _is_, dumbass, but what does it-"

"If you'll excuse me, Gardner, I have plenty of work to do before this break is over." His statement held a note of irritation to it, and Tea hesitated. She knew she wasn't about to get anymore information out of him, so she turned on her heel and marched away.

_September 10, 2004_

_Dad and I got into another fight this morning, but it was about something so stupid I can't even remember the topic. The atmosphere in the house has been tense since my parents told me we're moving to London at the end of the year. Our relationship has been going downhill since then. I can't understand why they won't just let me rent an apartment or something so I can finish off my high school career in Domino. I mean, I only have the end of this year and my senior year left. If we really go through with this move, the guys and I won't be able to graduate together like we planned. Well, Yugi will still have a year left, but that's not the point! Everything will be ruined! I haven't told them about it, yet. I just can't bring myself to face them; I'm so afraid they'll be disappointed in me. Am I being stupid? After all, they are my best friends, and it's not like I can help it if we're moving._

_Speaking of stupid, Kaiba's been acting especially weird lately. I ran into him the other night, (which wasn't a very pleasant experience, by the way) and I must have dropped my bag or something because he had it delivered to my house the next day. That of course raised my parents' suspicions that I had a 'secret boyfriend' and that I'd been staying over at his house. It actually hurt a little to realize my parents don't trust me as much as I thought. It's not like I've ever done anything to disappoint them._

_Anyway, he left this note in my bag that said he'd stolen something out of it; not in those words of course, but that **is** what he did. It was a little gold charm that Yugi had given to me for my birthday two years ago. He told me it reminded him of me when he saw it. I don't know why Kaiba took it, or why he keeps denying that he took anything, but I'm going to get it back-somehow._

Tea dropped her pencil back on her desk and snapped her diary shut, making sure to lock it before sliding it back into its place on her shelf.

* * *

**PT**: Well, I hope you all liked that, and I'll try to get the next one up ASAP. Don't forget to review on your way out! (puppy-dog eyes) Pretty please. 

Btw, no offense was intended toward nerds or geeks. I myself am a geek, and am quite proud of it, too.


	4. Chapter Four

**Peneia Teke**: WOOT! I updated-FINALLY! Ah, sorry that took so long everyone, but I won't give you an excuse 'cause it'll always be the same. 'Twas school that did it (points an accusing finger at all her homework giving teachers), so don't blame me! Oh yeah, and I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

**Kaiba**: ... I think she's finally lost it.

**PT**: Righto! Now, onto chapter four...with a new twist. Mwahahaha!

* * *

**Chapter Four

* * *

**

"... And so class, this is why we learn about these atrocious cruelties, so the events won't repeat themselves again. Only by learning from our mistakes can we prevent them from reoccurring in the future." Mr. Mason, the period three history teacher droned to his drowsy class. They were learning about the European Holocaust during World War II, and in any other circumstance it would have been an interesting subject, but Mr. Mason was the dullest teacher in the entire school. "Do you have any questions? Good. Then we can get ahead on the topic for next class."

It was looking up to be the start of an agonizingly boring day.

Suddenly, a sharp rap on the door brought them out of their somnolent states. The teacher peered at the visitor over his wire rimmed glasses. "Come in."

The door opened and a blonde haired girl walked in, completely unfazed by the pairs of eyes following her as she strode across the room and handedhim a small note. She turned and disappeared back out the door without a word. Mr. Mason glanced down at the note for a moment and cleared his throat loudly. "Seto Kaiba, your councilor wishes to speak with you about a matter concerning your graduation this year."

A chorus of sniggers tittered throughout the room, most noticeably in Joey and Tristan's corner but after a cold glare from Kaiba, the class quieted again and refocused its attention back to the board. Kaiba gathered his things slowly and packed his laptop carefully away in his briefcase. He mentally cursed the teacher as he made his way down the isle toward the door, ignoring the curious stares from his peers. What business did he have blurting out his personal business to the entire class? He glared in his direction again before exiting the room, but he'd already started writing more notes on the board and didn't notice, or else he was very good at tuning him out.

On the other side of the room, Tea pretended to be interested in fiddling with a piece of scrap paper. It took all her will power to keep from catching Kaiba's eye and grinning.

Maybe this day wouldn't be so boring after all.

* * *

Kaiba sat down gracefully in the chair offered to him by his councilor and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting impatiently for the man to begin. "This had better be important." 

"Mr. Kaiba," the man began, seriously, "you were informed at the beginning of your freshman year that you needed to complete at least ten hours of community service to graduate from high school, correct?"

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "What's your point?"

"Well, according to my files, you haven't done _any_ community service whatsoever, and we only have a few weeks of school remaining."

Kaiba shrugged indifferently. "My donations to the local charities should be sufficient enough."

"Yes, well, you see Mr. Kaiba, although I'm sure the charities appreciate your generous donations, they don't technically qualify as charity _work_. Work meaning you do it with your hands."

Kaiba's lips turned down into a frown. "Listen to me, you senile old fool," he snapped impatiently, "I have a company to run and a brother to look after. My schedule allows no room for that kind of nonsense."

The councilor caught his eye and stared back evenly, not at all intimidated by Kaiba's foul temper. "Well, Mr. Kaiba, I'm sorry you feel that way, but it's either fulfill the requirement or repeat your senior year. The choice is up to you."

Kaiba's eyes widened slightly. The man couldn't be serious. There was _no way_ he was going to let a little charity work, or lack thereof, hold him back from escaping this prison. He'd put up with it for four years too long, and he'd be damned if he stayed one year more than necessary. "What do I need to do?" he spat.

The man smiled and replied, "I'm glad you asked. I took the liberty of finding a suitable volunteer service for you, and the best part is you can start right after school-today, if you'd like."

* * *

Tea walked happily down the school steps and stretched her arms contentedly. Today had been one of those rare kinds of days you think back to when life isn't exactly going smoothly. She had no homework, she'd aced her Spanish exam, her mom had packed her favorite food for lunch, and she'd witnessed Kaiba get in trouble with the councilor or something of that sort. Could this day get any better? 

"Hey Tea! Wait for us!"

Oh yeah, it could!

She slowed and waited for her friends to catch up. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Nothin' much," Joey replied.

"Yeah, we were wondering if you wanted to go to the arcade?" Yugi asked hopefully.

Tea's smile fell slightly. "Ah, sorry guys, but I have to work today. Gotta pay for those dance lessons you know," she said, trying to stay cheerful. _The ones my parents won't pay for_. "Maybe next time, though." Her pack was hanging carelessly from her shoulder and lightly bumped against her side. She shifted the weight to the other shoulder and glanced quickly at her watch. She'd better hurry if she didn't want to be late.

"Oh, ok." Yugi looked slightly down but perked up almost instantly. That was one of the things Tea liked about Yugi-always the optimistic one. "How about we all go to a movie after your shift ends?" He hesitated. "Or do you have something else you have to do?"

"Nope!" Tea responded cheerfully. "That sounds great."

"Awesome." He gave her a large grin. "Then we'll meet you in front of the game shop at eight.

* * *

After a fifteen minute walk through downtown Domino, Tea cut through an ally and then sighed with relief when a large, brick building came into view; she wasn't late after all. A sign by the entrance of the property read: Domino Humane Society, though it was often called 'The Big Red Building' by her peers. 

Tea had only been working at the humane society for a few months, but she enjoyed it. Next to dancing and hanging out with her friends, animals were one of her biggest passions. Something about them could calm her even when she was having a bad day.

Since she was still new, she didn't do much with the animals but spent her time answering phone calls, restocking equipment, cleaning cages, running errands, and doing any other miscellaneous tasks her boss asked of her. She didn't mind since the work was generally easy and the pay wasn't bad, and she figured that once she proved herself as a hard worker, he'd let her do more with the animals.

Tea opened the door and was about to head to the bathroom to change into her uniform when a voice caught her attention. She whirled around and smiled when her eyes landed on her newest friend, Marissa. "Hey, Tea!" the curly haired girl greeted happily, "You still coming to the beach cleanup?" Marissa's mom had a friend who owned a bait shop, and he took charge of annual environmental programs and charities. Mr. Rigby, Tea's boss and owner of the Domino Humane Society, often encouraged his volunteers and employees to help out at the events.

"Yup. It's this Saturday, right?" Marissa nodded. "Would you mind if I brought some friends?"

Marissa shook her head. "Not at all! Anyone's welcome."

Tea barely had time to smile thanks and excuse herself before she saw her boss striding toward her. "Tea, why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

Tea flinched. Mr. Rigby was a great employer, but he was very strict about the rules. "Sorry, sir. I just arrived, and I haven't had time to change."

Mr. Rigby nodded. "Fine. As soon as you do that, I'd like you to move these bags of pet food into the storage room, ok?" He waved an arm behind him at the stacks of dry dog and cat food lining the far wall. Tea nodded and hurried off to do as he bid.

* * *

"Tea? Mr. Rigby wants to see you in his office," Marissa said, walking up behind the brunette. Tea nodded. She'd just gotten finished moving all the bags and needed to go see what else she had to do, anyway. She walked slowly to his office, deep in thought about things other than her work. 

She opened the door and walked in. "Mr. Rigby, did you need someth-" She froze when her eyes landed on a figure standing next to her boss, making him appear very short, and Mr. Rigby was by no means a short man. "What are _you_ doing here?" she asked in shock.

Kaiba's eyes widened slightly, and his jaw clenched, but he covered his emotions easily. "I'm sure it's not hard to figure out," he replied coldly.

Mr. Rigby looked surprised. "Well, it appears you two already know each other. Good. It will make this easier. Tea, this is Seto Kaiba. He's going to be volunteering here for a few weeks. I want you to watch out for him, help him when he needs it. I know you'll make a fine example of how things are run."

Tea nodded meekly. There was no way she could disappoint him. "Yes, Mr. Rigby."

"I don't need help from _her_," Kaiba spat out. "I'm more than capable of handling myself on my own."

"I'm sure you are, Mr. Kaiba," the owner replied, raising an eyebrow, "but that's just the way it's done around here. Volunteers always shadow the employees." Tea and Kaiba glared daggers at each other. Mr. Rigby's eyebrow went higher, and he quirked his lips in amusement. "I'd like you to show Mr. Kaiba around, and then I want you to complete these tasks before you leave today." He handed Tea a list of chores.

Tea nodded, and he dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "I'll be in here if you need me."

Kaiba nodded curtly and left the room with Tea reluctantly in tow. "I thought I was supposed to be giving _you_ the tour, not vice versa," she mumbled to Kaiba's back. He heard every word.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me when I said I _don't need your help_, Gardner," he said coldly. "Or maybe it was too much information for your flaky brain to grasp at one time."

"_You_ heard, Mr. Rigby," Tea hissed through clenched teeth. Kaiba ignored her. "Look, Kaiba,"she finally muttered reluctantly, "Since we're going to be working together for a while, don't you think we should just start over and at least _try_ to get along?"

He appeared surprised for an instant, but then his eyes hardened, and he glared at her. "What _is_ it with you people and always trying to be my friend? Why won't you just give it up and leave me alone?"

"I didn't mean we should be friends, Kaiba," Tea protested, her voice rising in volume. "I merely suggested we make a truce and stop trying to get at each other's throats all the time! It's getting old."

"Fine, whatever," he growled and turned away from her.

Tea huffed and stalked off to the storage room, deciding that rearranging the boxes and bags on the far shelf would be the best way to vent her anger at the moment. Besides, that was one of the first things on her list. She'd completely forgotten about the tour.

After a few minutes Kaiba joined her. He stood awkwardly to the side with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well, are you going to help me?" Tea demanded, turning her head to look at him. "Or are you just going to stand there like an idiot for the next two hours?"

Kaiba glared at her. He wasn't used to being ordered around, but he'd do anything if it involved getting him out of Domino High Hell. He decided to put his dignity aside and hissed through gritted teeth, "What do you want me to do?" Tea looked at him in surprise, amazed that he seemed willing to take orders from her. "Come on, Gardner. I haven't got all day," he snapped.

"Uh, can you finish stacking these, and I'll clean out the cages over there?" she asked ushering to the cages lining the wall on the other side of the room.

"Fine."

Tea hurried off and Kaiba began stacking, still seething over having to work here. _Stupid school trying to waste my time. I should be at KaibaCorp setting up preparations for the new Kaiba Land in England, not here in this dump doing pointless charity work_.

He felt a light tap on his shoulder and spun around to glare at a nervous looking girl with dark, curly hair. She cowered in fear when his eyes fell on her andbacked away a few inches-or maybe it was a few feet. "Yes?" he asked with no hint of friendliness in his tone.

"Um, Mr. Kaiba, sir? Would you mind very much handing me one of those bags? I kind of ran out of dog food."

Kaiba snorted. "How do you _kind of_ run out of anything? You either did or you didn't." The girl looked like she wasn't sure weather to laugh or run away in terror. Kaiba sighed and hauled one of the bags off the shelf and into the girl's arms. She held it awkwardly and glanced timidly up at him. "What? Now I'm supposed to carry it for you, is that it?" he barked in annoyance. The girl gave a startled yelp and hurried from the room.

"Kaiba, that was really mean you know," Tea said, startling him with her sudden presence. "You should really go apologize to Marissa. You probably scared her out of her wits."

"That was the point," he muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"I said, don't be a moron, Gardner. Now get you little ass back over there and start working." There. Now, he was back in control. Tea rolled her eyes but did what he complied-much to both of their amazement.

The rest of the day went by relatively smoothly, or at least as smoothly as it could with both Kaiba and Tea in the same room, and before either really realized it, their time had ended. Mr. Rigby came to meet them at the door on their way out. "Mr. Kaiba, I must say I had my doubts, but I'm very pleased with the amount of work you put in today." Kaiba nodded and shifted his weight, impatient to leave. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in helping with the beach clean up this Saturday. It starts at 9:00 AM and ends at 3:00 PM." He ignored Tea's horrific expression and wildly waving arms. "Of course, you wouldn't have to stay the whole time if you didn't want to, but any help is appreciated."

Kaiba opened his mouth to turn the offer down, but Mr. Rigby put a hand up to silence him. "It will count toward your community service hours." That was all that was needed to be said.

"Very well," Kaiba agreed. "I'll be there by 11:30."

Mr. Rigby smiled. "Excellent. We'll be meeting at the Domino Pier."

Tea watched Kaiba leave with a strange expression on her face. "Why'd you have to do that, Mr. Rigby?" she complained. "I thought I was going to have fun on Saturday..."

Mr. Rigby grinned mischievously. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see won't we?"

* * *

**PT**: Well, there ya have it. Chapter four done. The beach clean up will be next. Hehe. 

One more thing; if anyone wants to join my C2 staff for Dancers and Dragons (Seto x Tea of course) feel free to email me, or tell me in your review. My email address is in my bio. I guess I'll just take the first few people who answer back. Now, don't forget to review on your way out please! Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated.


	5. Chapter Five

**Peneia Teke**: Hey guys! I'm back, and I'm dead! (throws confetti) Wait, I think I just contradicted my self... Ah, whatever.

Anyway, I swear teachers get together and plan when they're going to give projects because I always end up getting three projects at a time, which is why the update came so late. Well, that, and this chapter's been a killer. I just couldn't seem to get it the way I wanted it. It's still not exactly the way I'd planned, but eh, whatcha gonna do?

**Kaiba**: You're rambling.

**PT**: (reads what she's written) So I am!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

**Chapter Five

* * *

**

The rest of the week flew by in a flurry of activity and before Tea knew it, the day she'd been dreading had arrived.

Saturday morning at 8:30 she dragged herself out of bed, dressed quickly in shorts and a comfortable t-shirt, and headed out the door to the Domino Humane Society. She wanted to be there a few minutes early in case Mr. Rigby needed help with any last minute arrangements. She'd decided that inviting the guys to help with this project would be a big mistake, considering the unexpected circumstances that had been forced upon her-namely Kaiba. She'd simply told them that she had plans with her family for Saturday morning and wouldn't be home until late afternoon. It wasn't a complete lie; after all, most of the staff at the humane society _did_ feel like a part of her family... She only preyed that the guys wouldn't be anywhere near the beach during that time.

To have them see her with their sworn enemy was the last thing she needed.

She grinned as she turned a corner and spotted her boss loading supplies into his red pickup truck at the Humane Society's entrance. "Hey, Mr. Rigby!" she called, raising a hand in greeting.

Mr. Rigby looked up and smiled. "Well, good morning, Tea. You're here bright and early."

Tea nodded. "I wanted to see if you needed help with anything."

Mr. Rigby put a hand to his chin and glanced around. "Actually, I think everything's already taken care of, but thank you for the offer. You can go wait inside until it's time to leave if you'd like. It's awfully chilly out here."

Tea nodded and headed for the large brick building, anticipation growing for the task ahead. If anything, the day would be an interesting experience.

* * *

"People, may I have your attention, please?" Mr. Rigby's clear, loud voice rang out over the crowd of volunteers. Once everyone had quieted, he continued, "Thank you. I'd like to introduce to you the manager of this project, Mr. Eric Finley." 

A kind looking man stepped forward and smiled broadly at the group around him. "Hello! First off, I want to thank you all for joining us today in the spirit of this year's environmental event. It wouldn't have been possible if not for our wonderful volunteers and organizers like you. Now, I'll provide you each with a plastic bag and a poker stick and assign you to a section of the beach. We'll take a lunch break at 1:00. I know there will be people coming and going all day, but any help you are able to provide is appreciated. Well, I believe that settles everything, so what do you say we begin?"

The volunteers surged forward, grabbed their needed materials, and spread out along the beach. It wasn't long before each was immersed in his or her task and fell into a comfortable routine.

* * *

"I can't believe I actually agreed to this," Kaiba growled, glaring at the water in disgust. He'd only arrived an hour ago and was already regretting it. He (much to his annoyance) had been sent to work with Tea and-what was her friend's name again? Oh yes, Marissa. 

"Well, it could be worse, I guess," Tea mumbled, shoving another piece of trash into her bag.

Kaiba gave her an incredulous stare and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Enlighten me."

She smiled weakly. "At least we're not in school."

"Swimming in their filthy pool," Marissa piped in without pausing from her work.

Tea grinned inwardly. "Or eating their morbid gruel," she added with a snigger. The girls caught each other's eye and grinned. "Hey Kaiba?" Tea asked after a moment's pause. "What's a phrase that rhymes with gruel?"

"Wheeler is a fool," he replied stoically.

She glared at him and put a hand on her hip. _I set myself up for that one_. "Why are you so cruel?"

"Enough," he growled. "You realize, Gardner, that your maturity level rivals that of a two year old."

Tea shrugged and went back to her work. "At least I'm having fun," she muttered under her breath.

"You're rhyme didn't fit, anyway," Marissa told Kaiba in annoyance.

"Bite me."

She ignored him and instead turned to Tea. "Who's Wheeler?"

Kaiba was quicker to respond. "He's a mangy, third class hack of a duelist, who can't get over the fact that he's been bested, and isn't smart enough to control his big mouth."

Tea's eyes narrowed in anger and she gave Kaiba her best icy glare while he smirked back at her. "Gee... Sounds like someone else we know."

"Um..." Marissa began as she glanced back and forth between the two, looking thoroughly confused.

Tea turned to her and smiled apologetically. "Don't mind Kaiba, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Hn, quite the contrary. I'd say I know very well what I'm talking about," he replied evenly.

"Joey Wheeler's a great person and one of my best friends. He's funny and loyal-"

"And stupid."

"_And determined_," she hissed through clenched teeth, "and he's a great listener when he wants to be, and-"

"Obnoxious."

"Would you shut up!" Tea yelled, whirling around to face him. "Why do you always have to be so negative? So maybe Joey isn't perfect. Who cares? It's what makes him fun to be around."

Kaiba wasn't fazed. "No, it's what makes him a moronic buffoon."

"That's _so_ not true! You have _no right_ to talk about him like that! You don't even know him!"

"I don't _need_ to know him. Face it; your friend is a low life scum, who'll never get anywhere in life. You shouldn't bother hanging around people like him; Taylor either. They'll only pull you down with them."

At that moment Tea's temper boiled over. Without thinking about the consequences, she brought her leg back and sent a spray of sand and water in Kaiba's direction. He cursed loudly and stumbled backward several steps too late. He looked down at the trails of dirty water running down his trench coat, and Tea stood frozen in shock, a hand covering her mouth. Marissa stood awkwardly in the background, unsure of what to make of the whole situation.

Kaiba raised his head to meet Tea's gaze, and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Tell me, Gardner. Do you have any idea how much this trench coat cost me?" he asked, his voice a deadly whisper.

"Fifteen dollars?" Tea supplied weakly, giving him a timid grin that clearly said, 'please don't kill me'.

Kaiba chuckled, though it was anything but amused. "Heh. Try fifteen-_hundred_ dollars!"

Tea's eyes widened and she took a step back. _Holy shit, that's a lot of money!_ _Stupid Tea! Stupid Tea! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why'd I do that? This is Kaiba we're talking about! He'll probably murder me in my sleep! No, scratch that, he'll make me pay for the coat in manual labor, and **then** he'll murder me in my sleep_! While Tea was mentally chastising herself for her reckless action, she involuntarily began backing up.

Kaiba shrugged off his trench coat and laid it down on the wooden planks of the dock, eyeing it for a moment while he sized up the damage. Then he turned around, and his eyes came to rest on Tea's retreating form. He grinned darkly and made his way toward her; his long strides allowed him to cover twice as much ground as she. In no time at all, he'd caught up to her and grabbed her shoulders roughly.

"Let go, Kaiba!" she shrieked, pulling away defensively. "It's your own stupid fault your trench coat's ruined. You shouldn't have said those things about Joey." Maybe that was the wrong thing to say... "Besides, I'm sure you can wash it, and it'll be fine!"

Without a word, Kaiba wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her up, over his shoulder. "Kyaa! What do you think you're doing?" she shouted, banging him with her fists. "Put me down!" Kaiba cringed slightly. _God, she hits hard_!

He paid her no heed and strode out onto the pier while nearby volunteers stopped what they were doing and looked on with interest. Marissa made a move as if to try and stop him but thought better of it and instead stepped back, concern etched in her eyes.

Kaiba walked down the length of the pier and slowed the last few steps to savor his victory. He raised the struggling girl over the water and grinned. "No! What are you doing?" Tea shrieked, "This isn't funny anymore, Kaiba!"

"You should have thought of that beforehand, Gardner," he grinned and dropped her into the dark liquid. She landed with an ungraceful splat and sank quickly as the water sucked at her clothing, engulfing her entirely. She came up a mass of flailing limbs and sputtered water as she shouted angrily, "Seto Kaiba, you jerk! You're impossible!"

Yes, she had to admit that it was a lame comeback, but her mind was numb with shock and cold, and it was the only thing she could come up with at the moment.

"You're lucky that's _all_ I did to you," he scoffed.

"Lucky! _Lucky_?" she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the man, not three feet away, who'd submitted her to this torture. "You call being thrown into freezing cold water, **in my clothes**, _lucky_?"

"Stop overreacting. It isn't _that_ cold."

"Yeah? Why don't you come in and see for yourself?"

Kaiba hesitated for a brief moment as if actually considering her challenge. _What the hell_? He stripped off his shirt and took a confident step forward, plunging from the dock into the water below. His reaction upon contact was-yes, it was _indeed_ cold-freezing cold. Wading through the water of a shoreline was one thing, but submerging one's full entirety into the aforementioned was another matter altogether. Of course, Kaiba would never admit that aloud; his ego was far too big to admit he'd been wrong. "Like I said, it's not that bad."

She glared at him and turned away, doing her best to tread water. It wasn't that deep; the water only came up to Kaiba's shoulders, but the added weight of Tea's clothing was making it difficult to keep her head above water. She flipped over on her back and held her breath to keep from sinking. The water actually did feel nice now that she was more used to it, and the air was warmer than it'd been earlier in the morning. Tea stared up at the deep blue sky, listening to the gurgling noises of the water and gently moving her arms to help keep her afloat. After several minutes of silence, she began to feel more relaxed. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, moaning quietly as the cool water tickled her scalp-or at least she _thought_ she'd been quiet.

She jumped as two strong hands positioned themselves on the small of her back, and she opened her eyes to see Kaiba staring back at her. "You look comfortable," he said with a smirk.

Tea rolled over and felt her feet hit firm sand. "I _was_ comfortable until you disrupted me," she replied. It was a lie, and she knew it.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Whatever. You should be _thanking_ me."

"Why?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Because everyone else ditched you for lunch. Hn, some 'friends'."

"What!" She glanced around. She and Kaiba were the only ones still on the beach. "Oh. Why didn't they tell me?" she murmured, though it was more to herself than to Kaiba.

He rolled his eyes. "Relax, Gardner. They said they'd bring you something back."

"Oh. And what about you? Aren't you hungry?" She wasn't sure why she suddenly cared.

"No. I don't eat lunch. Now, we still have a job to do, or have you forgotten? It wouldn't surprise me."

Tea scowled. "I was just taking a break. You should learn to chill a little, Kaiba. It'd be good for you."

He glared at her. "Whatever. You're one to talk. I'm going back to work, but you can stay here and laze around all you want." He began wading toward shore with a smirk on his face and snuck a glance back behind him at Tea.

"Hey, wait a minute, Kaiba!" She rose angrily out of the water and began advancing toward him. "You were the one who chucked me in here in the first place! Don't you tell me I'm being lazy. And besides..."

Kaiba, however,was no longer listening. His eyes had caught Tea's figure as she stood, and he noticed that her wet clothes hugged her skin tightly, annunciating the curves that he usually tried to ignore. He began to feel hot and tore his eyes away from her, afraid he'd lose it if he didn't. The fact that they were completely alone didn't help. He could barely hear what she was saying. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Kaiba? _Kaiba_! Are you listening to me?" she asked in frustration.

"What is it?" Kaiba asked in annoyance, refusing to make eye contact. She was uncomfortably close, and it took all the restraint he had to keep his hands at his sides. He'd give anything for the deep pockets of his trench coat about now. Unfortunately, _that_ was all the way over on the dock.

Tea flailed her arms in exasperation, and her hand accidentally brushed his. He stiffened at the contact, and she quickly pulled her hand back in embarrassment. After several awkward moments, she gathered her courage and braved a peek at the intimidating CEO.

Tea grudgingly admitted to herself that he was really, _really_ hot... especially with his shirt off. She'd never thought he'd have such a firm looking chest, or such well defined abs... _No! Bad Tea! Don't think like that. He's your best friend's rival, remember_? It was too late, though, the damage had already been done.

"You're gawking, Gardner."

"W-wha? No, I'm not," Tea stammered, feeling flustered. _Ok, deep breath. It's just Kaiba_. _Nothing's going to happen. _

"You can't seem to take your eyes off me." His voice was quiet.

"I ..." She shifted nervously and glanced away.

Her heart skipped a beat when she felt the soft touch of his fingers on her skin. Kaiba raised her chin with a finger and captured her wary irises with his penetrating gaze. His eyes darkened with mixed emotions, and Tea felt her face begin to heat up, though she silently prayed that Kaiba wouldn't notice. It was to no avail.

"You're blushing." A careless smirk replaced the uneasy expression from before, and he began to caress her cheek with his thumb.

Tea turned twenty shades of red and moved her eyes from him. "Why are you doing this, Kaiba?" Her voice shook slightly, much to her dismay. Kaiba didn't answer. Instead he pulled her against him, so her chest was touching his, and tightened his grip on her hips. "Kaiba?" Tea squeaked, shocked at his abrupt action. She could feel a tickling sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Shut up," he muttered and briefly pressed his lips to hers. Tea squeaked again in surprise and tried to pull away, but Kaiba's iron grip prevented her from moving.

He paused and glanced down into her confused eyes as she tried to take in what had happened. "K-Kaiba. You... you _kissed_ me?" she stuttered.

"Does that bother you?"

"I-I don't know. I don't think so. It just-"

"Good."

His lips were back on hers but with more passion, and she slowly, hesitantly began kissing him back. He turned his head to deepen the kiss and ran his hands slowly down her sides. Tea wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. After a moment Kaiba ran his tongue along her bottom lip, demanding entrance, and she complied willlingly. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and sought out her own. They fought for dominance, each struggling against the other in a sensual game of tug and war.

Suddenly, Kaiba's hands seemed to take on lives of their own, and his mouth moved from her lips to place tender kisses on her neck and throat. Tea's heart began racing, and she felt dazed as if in a dreamlike state.

When Kaiba's tongue reached a particularly sweet spot, she took a sharp intake of breath as a shiver of delight coursed through her body. Her mind began to fog over, and she became totally absorbed in the man before her.

"Hey, did you guys want turkey or chicken san-Oh my God!"

Tea started and abruptly pulled away from Kaiba. Blushing furiously, her eyes darted toward the source of the disturbance. Marissa was standing wide eyed with a mixed expression of shock and horror. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, turning away slightly in embarrassment. "I didn't mean... I didn't realize you guys were... Um, I'm just going to go now, kay?" She whirled around, still stumbling over apologies.

"Wait Marissa," Tea called hoarsely, sidestepping Kaiba to catch the now emotionally traumatized girl's attention. "It was nothing. We were just...um, _talking_." She said the last word slowly.

Marissa giggled, rubbing her neck nervously. "Talking, right, if you say so. Anyway, uh, we brought back some sandwiches if you're hungry, which you probably are, now."

"Marissa!" Tea exclaimed.

"From all the working you guys've been doing!" the curly haired girl exclaimed, putting her hands up defensively, "You know, since we've been gone!" There was a short pause in which she could hear the call of sea gulls as they circled around above their heads. "So, yeah..." She cast another apologetic glance back at the two teens and left them to their own devices.

Tea stole a glance at Kaiba, and the emotions she'd seen so clearly in his deep blue eyes were replaced once again with his cold, impenetrable mask. "Kaiba?" she asked softly.

He looked down at her. "It was a mistake, Gardner, nothing more," he responded coldly. Then he turned and walked back toward the beach, leaving her to look on after him. His comment hurt more than it should have.

Tea had the urge to call out but stopped herself. _Kaiba's right. It was all a mistake. We were alone and just got carried away. Besides, he's an arrogant bastard. He doesn't have the ability to love_. She hesitated. _Right_? For the first time in her life she wasn't entirely sure.

* * *

**PT**: Argh! (beats Kaiba over the head with a rolled up newspaper) 

**Kaiba**: Hey! What the heck was that for?

**PT**: Humph! For making this chapter so difficult to write of course! And for blowing off Tea at the end there.

**Kaiba**: (rolls eyes) _You_ wrote it, not me.

**PT**: So? That's not the point! (sighs) Well, I hope you guys liked it. I thought it was kind of fast paced and choppy, and I might have made the characters a little OOC, but at least it was an update, right?

Next chapter I'll dig into their feelings a little more, and there'll be a lot more action. Hehe. So, until next time. (saluts) Also, a review (or constructive criticism) on your way out would absolutely make my day!


	6. Chapter Six

**Peneia Teke**: Hey everyone! I know what you all want to say, so let's all say it together, ok? Ready... one, two, three... OH MY GOD! WHAT TO YOU SO FREAKING LONG TO UPDATE? WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A MONTH! ARGHHHH! pelts her with rocks and rotten vegetables until she's buried

O.o;; Yeah, I'm sorry this update came so late, but it's here now-_finally_!

Thank you so, _so_, _sooooo_ much for all the great reviews from the last chapter. I must say I had my doubts, but now I'm relieved.

Ok, Mai will be making an appearance in this chapter, so watch out! I also hope I'm not the only one who's noticed a dramatic change in her voice. I didn't even recognize her when they showed her in Pegasus' office. Either they've gotten a new voice actor, or they're just reinforcing this 'new' Mai. Either way, I don't like it. Ok, enough ranting. Onwards to chapter six!

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

**Chapter Six

* * *

**

"Are you sure you really want to buy, Mai?" Tea asked warily as she pulled herself out of Mai's blue convertible and shut the door. "I mean, I'd feel kinda guilty." It was the Monday after the 'beach incident' and she and Mai were going out for a little early dinner.

Mai twirled her keys around a finger. "Don't worry about it, hon, this is all on me."

"But-" Tea began and was cut off by a stern glance from the older girl.

"I don't want to hear another word. Come on; I'm famished." They entered a small café and sat down at one of the booths.

A waitress came over and handed them each a menu. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked, glancing back and forth from Mai to Tea. "Or would you like to order now?"

"Yes, I'll have an iced tea with lemon," Mai said, not looking up from the menu. "...And the chicken salad on a croissant."

"Ok, and for you?" the waitress asked as she focused her attention on Tea.

"Um, I'll have the same, please."

"Ok, it'll be just a moment," the woman responded and walked briskly off to another table. She returned a few minutes later carrying two trays of their delicious looking food and placed them in front of the girls. Mai thanked her before digging in.

About half way through her sandwich, she glanced up to see Tea staring at her food with a glazed look in her eyes. "Something the matter?" she frowned.

"Huh? Oh... no, it's nothing. I've just had something on my mind..." She hoped Mai would take the hint and back off but had no such luck.

"Care to share?"

"Not really. It's kind of _personal_." Well, if she hadn't had Mai's complete attention before, she certainly did now.

"Well, what is it? Some kind of secret love affair you're not telling me about?"

"I think you've been spending too much time around Joey," Tea replied as she rolled her eyes slightly in annoyance.

Mai snorted. "Oh please, don't even _think_ about comparing me to that-" there was a pause as she narrowed her violet eyes at Tea in realization. "You're trying to throw me off topic, aren't you? Alright Tea, spill it. What's going on?"

She hesitated. This was it. She could either pour her guts out right then and there to Mai or continue lying and add another weight to her already guilt burdened conscience, which she wasn't too keen on doing. She finally shrugged her shoulders helplessly and brought the older girl up to date on the events of the past two weeks.

Mai cocked her head thoughtfully as Tea finished her story and put a hand on her hip. "Hmm... Well, I see Kaiba's been keeping _you_ on your toes."

Tea drummed her fingers on the table nervously. "Yeah, and now I'm really confused. What do you think this means, Mai? What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, do you feel the same way about him as he does about you?" Mai asked with a smirk.

"What do you mean 'feel the same way as he does about me'?" she asked nervously. "Kaiba hates me..."

"Uh, and you say _I'm_ spending too much time with Joey?" Mai rolled her eyes. "_Think_ about it, Tea. Your little group is the only one Kaiba associates with. Why do you think that is?"

Tea glared grudgingly at the table top. "Because he wants to beat Yugi in a duel and reclaim his title as the World Champion, and he thinks it's fun pushing Joey's buttons until he snaps."

"Well, that may be part of it, but I think it has more to do with you."

Tea looked at her skeptically. "Me? You _really_ believe that? This is Kaiba we're talking about after all; the guy we compare to an iceberg."

"Yeah, and he saved your life once."

"That was only because I helped Mokuba, and he felt like he owed me or something."

"No, I saw the look in his eyes. His concern was sincere and he would have done so regardless."

"I guess, but any normal, decent person would have done the same, I'm sure."

"Kaiba isn't any normal, decent person."

"...I guess you have a point," Tea replied with a frown.

Mai watched her with keen eyes. "And I don't think you hate him as much as you let on, either."

"What? Of course I don't _hate_ him, Mai, I just really don't like him. He's a stuck up, arrogant prick, and he needs to learn that the world doesn't revolve around him."

"See, that's _exactly_ what I'm talking about," Mai exclaimed with a grin. "You call him names and make it a habit to pick out all his flaws, but you don't seem to realize that you do it _all the time_. It's the first sign of a crush, you know."

"What are you talking about? I don't have a crush on him!"

Mai rolled her eyes. "Hon, the first thing you need to realize is that I'm not one of your little guy friends, and it sounds like you're in denial to me."

"I am not! Besides, you and Joey argue all the time."

"Yeah, and we've also been dating for the past two months."

_Ok, so that was a bad example_. Tea remained defiant. "So? That doesn't mean I have a crush on Kaiba."

Mai glanced down at her perfectly manicured nails without interest. "Why do you think we're even having this conversation?"

"Because _you_ butted into my personal life."

Mai sighed. "No, because you asked me for advice on your situation with Kaiba. You're confused about your feelings for him, and you don't want to admit that you might like him because it would upset the balance of your comfortable life. You're afraid to take a chance, you're afraid of rejection, and you're afraid of what people might say if you two started dating."

Tea stared at Mai for a moment with her mouth slightly agape. Then she dropped her arms to her sides in defeat and asked warily, "Ok... let's say you're possibly right, and I like Kaiba a little-_just a little_! What am I supposed to do about it? It's not like he'll ever up and admit he likes me."

The older woman grinned in triumph. "That's true. He's never one to admit to his feelings. Maybe you should _show_ him that you care instead of _tell_ him. After all, he is a hands on kind of guy."

"Mai!" Tea shrieked, a blush starting to redden her cheeks, "It's not like I'd ever _do_ anything with him! For goodness' sake, now I know you're spending too much time around Joey!"

"Hey!" Mai laughed, "It's not like we've actually done anything either... yet."

Tea held her hands up. "No what? I don't wanna know anymore. Joey's too much like a brother for me to hear about the details of his love life."

Mai nodded in agreement. "Seriously though, we're getting off topic. I think you should pay him a little visit later."

"What? You mean like at his _house_?"

Mai gave her a look that said 'Are-you-seriously-that-stupid?' and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, Tea, at his house."

The brunette ignored her and continued, "What exactly am I supposed to do? I doubt he'd actually let me inside if he knew it was me!"

"I don't know. You could go under the pretense that you want that little charm thingy back and go from there."

"Ok, but I _do actually_ want my charm back, Mai. Yugi gave it to me on my birthday as a sign of our friendship. He said it reminded him of me."

"You told me that already, Tea."

"Told who what already?" came a familiar voice, and Tea didn't need to see the owner to know it was Joey Wheeler. Tristan and Yugi weren't far behind him.

Mai's eyes darted toward him and then back down to her nails again. "Nothing, Joseph. Just girl talk."

"Girl talk, eh?" he asked, pulling up a chair next to Mai and wrapping his arm around her waist. "Sounds fun ta me!"

"How'd you know we were here, Joey?" Tea asked him curiously.

"We didn't. We were just passing by and recognized Mai's car."

"Actually _Joey_ recognized the car and then dragged us both in here," Tristan added.

Mai smiled weakly at Joey and stood up, much to the blonde's dismay. "Well kids, as much as I'd love to stick around and chat, there's some stuff I've got to do, so I'll see you later." Then she directed her attention at the brunette across from her and added, "Tea, wasn't there somewhere you said you needed to be? I could give you a lift." Tea nodded hurriedly and stood up, glancing apologetically at her three friends.

"Hey, what's the sudden rush?" Tristan asked indignantly.

"Yeah, we jus' got here," Joey added. "Couldn't ya at least stay and have a soda or somethin'?"

Mai shook her head. "Sorry guys, but we really have to run."

"Ah well," Joey shrugged, "Guess we'll jus' have ta talk 'bout ya behind your back. No big deal, right?" That earned him a swat from Mai. "Hey! What was that for?" he scowled, rubbing his head tenderly.

"For being you," she replied haughtily. "Mmm wait... that reminds me..." She smacked him again.

"Argh! _Now_ what'd I do?" he shouted, glaring daggers at her.

She turned her full wrath on him. "_That_ was for trying to flirt with some stupid bimbo when I'll wasn't there to knock sense into your thick head!"

Joey ducked when Mai advanced on him again. "Cut it out, Mai! I don' know what you're talkin' 'bout!"

"Joey, she means that morning you had the, uh, incident with the pole... remember?" Yugi asked timidly, attempting to separate the feuding blonds.

"Oh right, that," he replied sheepishly. Then he looked offended. "Hey wait, whaddaya mean _tryin'_ to flirt? I was doin' a pretty nice job leadin' her on, if I do say so myself."

"Joey Wheeler! You're so pig headed sometimes I don't know what to do with you!" Mai shouted as she stomped her foot on the ground and threw her hands up in the air. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

A slow smile spread across his face. "Why Mai, you're not jealous are ya? 'Cause that's perfectly understandable; what wit me and my good looks an' all. The ladies jus' can't seem to get enough of ol' Joey Wheeler. Don' worry though, I'll try to find a way to fend 'em off."

"Why I never..." Mai growled. "I'm not going to stand around here and take this." She turned and began marching toward the door.

"Aw, come on Mai," Joey called, "you know I was jus' messin' wit ya. Don' be mad!"

"Sweet talk isn't going to get you out of this one, Joey," Mai replied with her back still turned. "Come on Tea, let's go."

"I'll call ya tonight!" The slam of the café door was his only answer, and all watched as Mai stalked toward her blue convertible, Tea nearly jogging to keep up.

"That's some kinda odd relationship if I ever saw one," Tristan murmured to Yugi once they were gone. Yugi smiled.

Joey just grinned and said, "Yeah, but I c'n tell she loves me. It's all in the vibe."

"Well, you could have fooled me."

Joey ignored him and glanced toward the girls' table. "Ah great, looks like we get to pay their bill, girls..."

"You mean _you_ get to pay their bill."

"Shut it, Tristan."

* * *

Mai raised an eyebrow incredulously at the huge, cast iron gate before them, surrounded on either side by a six foot brick wall. The estate and grounds visible beyond reeked of wealth, power, and prestige. It could only belong to one person-Seto Kaiba. "Will you need me to pick you up later?" 

"Ah, it's ok. I'll just walk."

"Ok, but you have my cell number if you need to get a hold of me, right?"

"Yeah, thanks," Tea replied. She gave Mai a weak smile before turning around and heading toward the gate. _Now, how am I going to get in there_? She scanned the length of the wall and then glanced back over at her friend. "Hey Mai, would you mind giving me a boost? I think if I stood on your shoulders I could get over-"

"Whoa! Wait a minute, Tea; are you telling me he's not here? I thought you said he wasn't at work?"

"I said he wasn't volunteering today. We both got the day off, so he's probably at KaibaCorp right now."

"Oh. Well why didn't you tell me? I could have dropped you off there."

"It's ok. I'm sure he won't mind if I... just let myself in to take a look around."

Mai's mouth dropped open in a very un-lady like fashion. "You're going to break into _Seto Kaiba's_ mansion? You do know what he's capable of, right?"

"More or less. Now, will you give me a hand?"

The blonde girl smirked wickedly. "And here I thought you were just a sweet, little goody-two-shoes. You sure surprised me, hon."

Tea narrowed her eyes. "This _was_ your idea, you know."

"Not the breaking in part; just the talking to Kaiba part, thank you very much."

"Ok, Fine. Just help me get over this fence."

Mai got down into a crouching position and waited impatiently for Tea to climb onto her shoulders. She winced slightly in pain as the brunette shifted her weight to adjust her balance. "Ok, I'm ready," she said. _And here I thought dancers were supposed to be light, graceful creatures_, Mai thought darkly as she stood enough for Tea to scramble over the wall and land with an audible thud on the other side.

She heard some muffled shuffling and Tea's figure appeared on the other side of the iron fence. "Here, I'll open the gate for you."

Mai waved a hand. "Don't bother. I should be getting on my way."

"What! You mean you're leaving me here all alone?" Tea shrieked. "I thought you were just joking about that!"

"Keep your voice down," Mai hissed. "I wasn't lying when I said I have some things I have to do."

"Well, wish me luck at least," she whispered, turning away.

"Good luck. Oh, and Tea?" She glanced quizzically over her shoulder at the blonde. "I'll be rooting for you," Mai added with a grin.

Tea watched her older friend get back in her car and pull away from the curb. Mai gave her a playful wink and stepped on the accelerator. The engine revved to life, and the car sped off down the street, stirring up a cloud of dust in its wake. Tea waited until the car was out of sight before taking a deep breath and venturing in the direction of her potential doom.

* * *

_(Kaiba Corporation)_

Kaiba glanced down at his watch and heaved a relieved sigh. He'd finally, _finally_ finished his newest model of the duel disk system (among other things) and was now ahead of his work. This meant he could go home early and enjoy a little peace and quiet. He had a few loose ends to tie up at home, but that wouldn't take long. Besides, working in the comfort of his mansion was much better than having to work in the stressful environment of KaibaCorp. Maybe he could take Mokuba out for ice cream or something later. He hadn't been able to spend time with his little brother in ages.

Not only that, but he also needed time to mull over what had happened on Saturday.

Kaiba packed his laptop away in his briefcase and then pulled out his cell and dialed a number. "Roland, it's me. Bring the limo around. I'm heading out early today."

* * *

Too soon, Tea came across her next problem. _How am I going to get inside? It's not like Kaiba keeps his doors unlooked for anyone to enter_. She paused in her stride. _But wait, he leaves his windows open_? 

She smirked at her dumb luck. She crept to the window, careful not to let herself be seen and peeked inside. It appeared to be a library or a study room of some kind and was quite empty. Tea reached her hand through the window frame, carefully removed the screen, and opened the window enough for her to squeeze her body through. Then she put the screen back and closed the window. _That was a little too easy. Must be a catch._

After taking a look around the room and deciding there was nothing there that could pose as a threat, she made her way out to the hallway and began walking in a random direction. She glanced at her watch; it was 5:15 PM. She knew Kaiba would stay at Kaiba Corporation until at least 7:00 PM, but he usually stayed longer. She also recalled Yugi telling her once that Mokuba went over to the high school for soccer practice at 4:30 PM and usually stayed until 6:00 PM. _Wow, I sound like a stalker_.

The sound of her shoes slapping against the hardwood floor echoed off the walls and Tea flinched. Despite the fact that no one was home, she felt the urge to keep her whereabouts as subtle as possible. _Well, this is fun_, she thought sarcastically, _where exactly am I supposed to go from here_? She'd never even seen his mansion before let alone been inside it. _Uh, I guess trying to find his office or room or whatever he calls it would be a good place to start. He has to be keeping it there; I just know it!_ Tea was more for locating her missing treasure at the moment than telling Kaiba how she felt, which was pretty annoyed to say the least. _How do I always let myself get talked into these things, anyway? I swear, I think Mai's starting to have a bad influence on me_.

She wandered around for another few minutes, peeking into rooms here and there and sighing in frustration when none resembled or even came remotely close to a bedroom or office. _Stupid Kaiba and his humongous mansion_, she thought, _he should hang a map in the lobby so people like me won't have to wander around lost for hours_.

Tea walked pass yet another room and glanced in uninterested. She was about to walk on when her brain caught up with her feet and she froze. She back tracked several steps and peeked around the corner. On closer inspection the room appeared to be some sort of security control center with small TVs lining the walls. They showed screenings of certain rooms in the mansion and changed camera angles every few seconds. A computer at the far end of the room kept the system running smoothly.

However, that wasn't what had caught Tea's attention. A figure leaning over the computer was typing in commands and didn't seem to notice she was there. It wasn't until she gave an audible gasp of surprise that the person whirled around to face her, looking almost surprised as she. They stared at each other for a moment before the figure recomposed himself and cocked his head curiously.

"..._Well, well what do we have here_?"

* * *

**Peneia Teke**: Wahahahaha! I left a cliffie. So, who's the man in the security room? Guess you'll just have to find out next time, but the good news is I already know what I'm going to do for the next chapter! I hope you guys liked this, and feed back is always appreciated. 

I know I said this chapter would have a lot of action in it, but I decided to leave that 'til next chapter.

Also this little bit was based loosely on an idea from **Samantha10**, so let's applaud her!

As you can see this story is no longer a 2 or 3 chapter fic, nor is it going to be 5 or 6 chapters. I really have no idea how long it's going to be, but I guess that's better for you guys, right?

Btw, I have a question for all you Tea/Kaiba people. There was a fic I read about Kaiba giving Tea a ride home during a rainstorm. The next day some girls were making fun of Kaiba behind his back and Tea flipped out on them, telling them that they didn't know Kaiba and that he really wasn't a bad guy. All was fine a dandy until Tea stormed out the door, and low and behold, there was Kaiba on the other side. He'd heard everything she said, and they just stared at each other for a moment before Tea brushed pass him very embarrassed. I think after that Kaiba walked in on Tea during one of her dancing sessions and watched her for awhile.

Unfortunately, I don't know the name of this fic, or the author. My point? If any of you have read something like this or have even a remote idea of what I'm talking about would you please tell me in you review or email me? Thanks!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Peneia Teke**: Hey Everyone! I'm so excited! It's Christmas Eve, and it finally snowed! NINE FRIGGIN' INCHES, though some places in Southern Indiana got up to twenty. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever feel like winter. If you haven't noticed already, I'm attempting to distract you from the fact that I haven't updated in about a month and a half. Did it work? No? Dang! (sigh) Well, I tried.

I was very pleasantly surprised about the amount of feedback I got on the last chapter. I'm hoping that means you guys liked it?

Just to let you guys know, I may change the genre of this fic from humor to drama because it's about to take a really dark twist. I'll still put in the snide comments and stuff I usually do, but the plot line is going to get darker starting with this chapter.

Ok, enough talk. Go and read!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

_/Yami talking to Yugi/__

* * *

_

**Chapter Seven

* * *

**

An icy shiver coursed down Tea's spine. The man was most certainly not Seto Kaiba, and there was no way in hell he could be mistaken for Mokuba. He appeared to be in his early forties with a slightly muscular build. His dirty blonde hair was jelled up in spikes, and his eyes were hidden behind tinted sunglasses. The fake smile plastered to his face made Tea uneasy, and his stance made her want to back up a few steps despite their already elongated distance.

With the decision that he was neither Kaiba brother, Tea could think of only two possibilities as to who this man was. Either he was someone who worked for Kaiba personally, or he was… well, she really didn't want to think of the second possibility. She just hoped he _was _someone who worked for Kaiba.

"A friend of Mokuba's perhaps?"

The sound of the man's voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she focused her baby blue eyes on him once more. He was looking at her expectantly, almost apprehensively, waiting for her reply. "Um, yeaaah… I'm a friend of Mokuba's. Is-is he here?" Of course, she already knew the answer, but this guy didn't know that.

"Actually the k-ah, Master Mokuba is… out with a friend at the moment, but I'll tell him you dropped by."

"Uh, thanks." Tea inwardly flinched. He obviously didn't work for Kaiba, or he'd have known that Mokuba was at soccer practice. Perhaps, he was simply misinformed? She hoped so.

The man continued staring at her expectantly, and she just cocked an eyebrow.

"I need a name to give him, little girl."

"Right." She decided right then and there that she didn't like him. _Awfully pushy for a butler or whatever he's supposed to be. Kaiba must have been drunk when he hired him_. She scrambled to come up with a fake id. "My name's Ma-Mazaki, Anzu Mazaki." She grinned inwardly. Joey and Tristan would be proud. "But, on second thought, you don't have to go through the trouble of giving him a message. It wasn't very important." As her blonde friend would say, she didn't trust the man as far as she could throw him, and something was warning her that he was trouble.

The man nodded. "I'm sorry to sound rude, but visitors are not permitted to roam the perimeters without Mr. Kaiba's consent. I'll escort you to the door."

"Oh, it's ok," she replied. "I'll just let myself out." She slipped from the room and, having no clue at all where she was going or even why she was really here in the first place, turned left and started heading down another random hall.

* * *

Kaiba gazed at the window. Clusters of raindrops gathered together and slid down out of sight, leaving remnants of water behind. It had just begun to rain, and he was glad to be going home. There was nothing more he hated than being stuck at KaibaCorp during a thunderstorm. It played on his mood and made his office feel more dreary than usual. 

Pedestrians walking down the sidewalk with brightly colored umbrellas glanced up whenever they caught sight of the limo, and he was glad it had tinted windows. He liked his privacy.

Kaiba leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. His back and neck muscles were tight from stress, and he rolled his shoulders a few times to loosen them. It didn't do much good, and the suggestion Mokuba had made about going to a masseuse was beginning to sound like a favorable idea. Of course, that meant he'd have to take a few hours off work, which was unacceptable, but he needed to do something to relieve some of his tension. He was beginning to get a migraine.

Kaiba's mind began to wander, and he found himself wondering what it would be like to feel Tea's delicate hands on his back as she pressed her body close to his and murmured comforting words into his ear.

His eyes shot open, and he sat up straighter in his seat. Where had _that_ come from? Was he so stressed that he was starting to fantasize himself with his rival's little friend? Yes, that must be it. If all else fails, blame it on work.

Besides, Tea never spoke quietly, or at least not when he was around. She was either shouting in his face, or shouting in the Mutt's face, or ranting about one thing or another. It was rather annoying really, which was part of the reason he couldn't stand her.

He ignored the little voice that told him he was only fooling himself and pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He would never stoop so low as to admit he felt something for Yugi Mouto's personal cheerleader.

A low growl emitted from his throat as he felt the limo steadily decreasing speed. He pushed the intercom that connected him to the front of the vehicle and barked, "Why the hell are we slowing down, Roland?"

There was a slight hesitation as Roland had not been expecting to have his ears chewed off by his boss. "Traffic jam, sir," he finally replied.

Kaiba balled his hand into a fist and ended the connection between him and his driver. This was not looking up to be a good evening.

* * *

"Grandpa, I'm home!" Yugi shouted as he, Joey, and Tristan walked into the Turtle Game Shop and crowded around the counter where Solomon Mouto was usually found working the cash register. He frowned in disapproval when he noticed the small room was empty. _Where's Grandpa? Anyone could have just walked in here and taken something_! "Grandpa?" 

Joey on the other hand wasn't paying attention. His acute sense of smell was working overtime, and he was too busy sniffing the air to notice anything wrong. He closed his eyes as a delicious aroma tickled his nose, unable to place what it was. "Mmm mmmmmm… somethin' smells good!"

"Is that you, Yugi?" a voice called from the kitchen unit, located behind the store itself. Solomon appeared before them with a look of relief on his face. "It's about time you boys came home. I was starting to worry."

Yugi smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Grandpa. We met up with Tea and Mai at a café in town and lost track of time."

Solomon nodded. "That's ok. Just call home first next time, alright?"

"Grandpa," Yugi said, crossing his arms. "Don't you think it'd be easier if I had a _cell phone_? That way we wouldn't have these miscommunications."

Solomon rolled his eyes and sighed. "Not this again! Yugi, we've been over this a hundred times."

"Come on, Grandpa," Yugi argued and threw his hands in the air in frustration, "_everyone_ has a cell phone. It would make things so much easier."

"Maybe for your birthday."

"But that's so far away….."

"A month isn't that long."

"Come on, Grandpa!"

"Yugi, we'll talk more about this tonight. Right now I need you to do a few things for me."

Yugi sighed. "Ok."

Joey took the pause as an opportunity to jump in. "Hey Gramps, not tryin' ta be rude or anything, but watcha cookin'?"

Solomon smiled. "I was in a baking mood today, so I made some blueberry muffins. You kids can have some if you want. They just need a moment to cool."

"Thanks Grandpa, but we had something earlier," Yugi replied, "right guys?" He turned toward his two friends and nearly face faulted when he noticed that he and his grandpa were the only ones left in the room. The swinging kitchen door told him all he needed to know. He smiled embarrassedly. "Should have known…"

Solomon chuckled appreciatively before heading into the kitchen after Joey and Tristan. He glanced at his grandson over his shoulder. "Yugi, would you mind watching the shop for a moment?"

Yugi nodded. "Sure, Grandpa." He turned toward the display case and began stacking the new shipment of cards that had come that morning. The process didn't require much thinking and he found his mind wandering toward Tea's odd behavior. _She's been really distracted lately. I know something's wrong, but I can't figure out what. It kinda hurts knowing she's not telling me…_

_/You must trust her, Yugi. She'll tell you what's wrong when she's ready/ _

Yugi smiled when he felt Yami's presence lingering in his mind. _I hope so. She's one of my best friends. If there's something troubling her, I want to know what it is. _

_/Yes, I understand/_

Yugi frowned thoughtfully. _She told me that Kaiba started volunteering at the Domino Humane Society last week. You think that's what's been on her mind?_

_/Perhaps, though I know she's one of the few that's not afraid to stand up to him. I don't think she'd let his attitude get to her too much /_

_So, you think it's something else, then?_

_/I don't know, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough/_

Yugi was so intent on his thoughts, that he barely heard the tinkling of the little bell, which signaled they had a customer. He looked up and caught a shock of white hair. "Oh, hey, Bakura!"

"Good afternoon, Yugi." Bakura responded politely. He raked a hand through his long, white hair and sent a spray of water droplets in every direction. "Quite a storm we're having."

"Yeah," Yugi agreed, "I love rainy days. They're the perfect times for board games." He stacked a few more packs of cards. "So, what've you been up to?'

"Oh, you know, the usual," Ryou replied. He fingered one of the pendants on his Millennium Ring.

"Oh. Well, I've got to finish stacking these cards, but Joey and Tristan are in the back if you want to find them. I should warn you though-they're eating."

Ryou chuckled. "Actually, I came to speak to Tea. We're supposed to work on a project for school tomorrow, but something's come up, and I need to reschedule. Is she here?"

Yugi frowned. _He came all this way just to talk to Tea about a project? He could have called_. "Sorry, Bakura, she's with Mai right now, but I'll tell her next time I see her."

Ryou waved him off. "Ah, it's ok. Don't worry about it." He gave Yugi a small smile and turned to exit the shop.

"Wait, Bakura, I could give you her cell number if you want. She usually has her phone on," Yugi offered. He ripped off the corner of a flyer hanging on the wall and scribbled some numbers on it.

"Thanks," Ryou said. "Well, I'd better go. See you around, Yugi."

"You're sure you don't want to stay and hang out with us for a little while?" Yugi asked.

"No, but thanks for the offer. I promised my dad I'd be home before 5:00, and it's already," he glanced at his watch, "5:25. I'd better get home."

"Oh, ok. Well, see you around, then," Yugi responded. He watched Ryou walk out into the rain and then shook his head.

"Hey? Wasn' that Bakura?" Joey asked, coming over to stand next to Yugi. He had a muffin in each hand.

Yugi nodded. "He wanted to talk to Tea."

"'Bout what?"

"A project."

"Oh. He couldn't have just called?"

"That's what I was wondering."

Joey grinned. "Meh. Guess that's Bakura for ya." He decided to change topics. "Hey, ya want me ta help ya stack them cards? Then we can play a game of duel monsters."

Yugi smiled at his best friend. "Sure, Joey, sounds good."

"Alright!" Joey shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "I'm gonna win this time!"

* * *

Tea had been wandering the mansion for a good twenty minutes before she stopped and leaned against up against a wall in frustration. _Ok, so I'm here, lost in the Kaiba mansion with some creepy butler guy who thinks I'm someone named Anzu Mazaki. Now what do I do_? She tried to imagine what Joey or Yugi would do in this situation but couldn't come up with anything useful. Joey would probably be figuring out ways to blackmail Kaiba with all the pictures of the two brothers hanging on the walls, and Yugi, well, Yugi was too nice to be caught in a situation like this anyway, but _if _he was, he'd probably be trying to find the exit, same as she. 

She sighed in exasperation and turned a corner only to find, to her complete and utter frustration, that she was right back were she'd started. She could see the control room from where she stood.

"May I ask what you're still doing here?" Tea gasped, jumped, and spun (in that order) to face the man she'd appointed "the creepy butler guy". He was standing next to the wall with his arms folded across his chest. The grin that he'd graced her with before was no longer present, and Tea took a step back when he took a step forward. "Well?" he growled, "I thought I'd made it perfectly clear that visitors aren't allowed to be wandering the mansion without consent from Mr. Kaiba."

Tea looked up at him with big baby blue eyes. "Yes, you did, but now I remember the _real_ reason I came here."

"You told me before that you were here to talk to Mr. Mokuba."

Tea fidgeted and began slowly edging away. "Yeah, but I also needed to give Kaiba some files for work. I'm his, uh, personal secretary. I just started."

The man suddenly narrowed his eyes and loomed ominously over her. "You're a friend of Mr. Mokuba _and_ Mr. Kaiba's secretary?"

Tea shuddered under his gaze, not liking the situation one bit. "Yes. It's, uh, how I became acquainted with Mr. Kaiba."

"Is that so? Well, in that case I'll show you to his office. Wouldn't want his new secretary getting lost." He walked over to her and took her arm.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Tea snarled, struggling to get out of his grasp. She planted her feet firmly on the hard floor, but the man began dragging her along behind him. "Let go of me, you creep!" she yelled and hit him in the back with her fist.

"Stop fighting and it'll make my job a lot easier," the man growled.

"Let me go, or I'll scream!" Tea shot back.

The man scoffed. "That won't do any good. Nobody will hear you." Tea froze for an instant and gazed up at him in horror. He could feel her pulse quicken under his hand.

The sound of glass shattering jolted them both back to reality. "SON OF A BITCH!"

Tea's head whipped around at the sound of a new voice coming from one of the rooms at the end of the hall. The door was slightly ajar, allowing a stream of light to spill out into the dark hallway.

A man stormed out of the room. His eyes darted down the length of the hallway and fell on the butler. "Kazuma, you idiot! What are you doing out here! You're supposed to be on the look out for that bastard, Kaiba!" It appeared he hadn't noticed Tea yet.

Kazuma gripped Tea's arm even harder. She yelled out in pain and kicked his shin with her heel. He cursed and knocked her away with his free hand, causing her to stumble forward and hit the wall with a groan.

"What the hell is going on here?" the second man demanded, marching angrily toward them. He had now apparently noticed Tea.

"I found this girl wandering around. Her name's Anzu Mazaki. She said she's Kaiba's personal secretary, but I don't buy it," Kazuma replied angrily. "What do ya want me to do with her?"

The other man shot a glance at Tea and his eyes widened in recognition. "Wait a minute; you're Tea Gardner aren't you?" A smile played softly on his lips. "I know all about you. You're pretty close to Kaiba, correct?"

Tea glanced at the man but didn't recognize him at all. _How does he know who I am_? "I don't think that's really any of your business," she replied hotly.

Kazuma was all up in arms. "What! She told me her name was Anzu Mazaki! We can't trust this one, boss!"

The other man chuckled, ignoring Kazuma. "Actually, it _is_ my business. Anything concerning Seto Kaiba is my business."

Kazuma's eyes shot to the other man. "She could ruin everything. We should get rid of her."

"Nobody asked for _your_ opinion, Kazuma," the boss responded tightly. "We'll continue on as planned with a few minor adjustments."

Tea glowered at him. She turned to sprint down the hallway, but Kazuma caught wind of what she was planning and tackled her before she got very far. He pulled her back on her feet and twisted her arms behind her back.

"Argh! Let me go!" Tea growled. "I have friends in high places! You'll never get away with this!"

"Such a lovely, young girl, so full of spirit. You don't need to put up that tough act around me. The fear in your eyes is plainly visible," the boss mocked. He shook his head in amusement and signaled Kazuma to follow him.

Tea was led toward the room at the end of the hallway where the boss had first emerged. There was no doubt in her mind that this was Kaiba's office, but everything was out of place. Papers and books had been tossed aside, cupboard doors were wide open, and contents spilled out of drawers. Kaiba's computer was turned on, and a few files seemed to be missing from an organized divider next to it. Kazuma stood with Tea in the doorway while the boss resumed his search for whatever he'd been trying to find, though he seemed to have no luck.

He turned to face Kazuma and Tea. "Unfortunately, I can't get through Kaiba's security, but now that we have a back up plan it doesn't matter." His eyes landed on Tea.

She took a small step back. "W-who are you?"

The boss grinned. "I am Rakion Yuko one of the many that scum Kaiba turned away cold. I'm here to make his life a living hell, and you my dear, will help me do that."

"No way! I'd never help someone who was trying to hurt Kaiba, even though he _is_ a scumbag. You can count me out of it!"

"Actually, you don't have a choice. You see, we have spies searching out the dickhead's little brother, right now, so if you don't do exactly what we say..." he shook his head sadly, "I don't think I'll be able to ensure little Mokuba's safety."

Tea stared at him in horror. "You wouldn't!"

Yuko grinned and was about to say more, but the sound of a door slamming cut him off. A figure walked into the house, and the sound of shoes echoed through the silent mansion.

Yuko tensed up. "Kaiba? He's not supposed to be home for at least another hour!"

Tea twisted out of Kazuma's hold, not about to let this opportunity slip from her fingers. "KAIBA! KAIBA HELP! THEY'RE TRYING TO-mfph mm mmmmm!"

"Do that again, and you'll regret it," Yuko hissed as he wrapped a hand over Tea's mouth. He brought out a knife and held it threateningly to her neck. She immediately quieted and all three strained their ears for any sounds signaling he'd heard her shouting. There was only silence.

Becoming desperate, Tea bit Yuko's hand and screeched even louder, "PLEASE HELP, KAIBA! THEY'RE GOING TO HURT ME! THEY'LL KILL MO-"

Yuko angrily slammed his elbow into the side of Tea's temple and sent her careening sideways. She landed with a heap on the floor. As she pulled herself to a sitting position, her vision became blurry and the room spun in circles, making it hard for her to focus. An image of Yuko looming over her with his knife was the last thing she saw before darkness overcame her.

* * *

**Peneia Teke**: Yeah, remember Rakion Yuko from chapter two? Well, we all knew he'd turn out to be a psycho, right? Hehe. 

So, is Kaiba going to save Tea in time, or is more havoc going to ensue? Guess you'll just have to wait 'til next time.

I hope you liked that muffin bit, **ShadowedSpirit**, because I put it in there just for you!

Alright, one last thing. I'm about halfway done with chapter eight, so if you guys want me to update fast, I want lots of reviews! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update, deal? Soooooooo, go to it, and I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, or whatever other holiday you celebrate!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Peneia Teke**: Hey! Thanks for all the reviews you guys gave me, and to keep my end of the bargain, I'm updating early!

**Disclaimer**: (sigh) Would you stop rubbing it in already? I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ok? (sobs hysterically)

_Note_: I'll be calling Ryou Bakura, Ryou, and Yami Bakura, Bakura.

* * *

**Chapter Eight

* * *

**

Ryou trudged slowly down the street with his hands shoved deeply in his pant pockets. He stared at the ground, ignoring the rain as it pelted against his clothes and soaked his long white hair. For a moment he stopped and stood in the middle of the road. His lips turned down into a frown and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He'd found himself outside the Turtle Game Shop with no prior knowledge as to why or how he'd gotten there in the first place, and for some unknown reason his thoughts had been centered around Tea when he'd 'come to'. He had a feeling something was wrong, and he'd only entered the game shop to make sure she was alright. Of course, he'd made up some lame excuse to Yugi, but he didn't think the small tri color haired boy had bought his story. Yugi was too perceptive for that.

He had a feeling his blank out had to do with the spirit of the Millennium Ring, which made him even more concerned. Well, at least he wasn't stained with blood when he came to like he had been after one of the former tomb robber's little midnight excursions two months ago. That had to be a plus, right?

One of the main reasons Ryou distanced himself from his friends was to keep them safe from Bakura. The white haired tomb robber was notorious for his enjoyment in death and torture. Although he depended on Ryou for survival, his apathy toward his 'container's' feelings caused Ryou to experience more than his share of pain, and he knew Bakura would more so kill the other members of the gang than look at them.

Ryou glanced back once more at the game shop before continuing on his way. Unfortunately, he didn't get far before his ring started glowing. Ryou's eyes widened as a bright flash obscured his vision and time seemed to come to a standstill. The evil spirit of the ring had once again taken over.

Bakura grinned wickedly as he continued along the same route Ryou had been taking. The pathetic boy was so easy to overpower it wasn't even fun anymore; not that Bakura didn't like the feeling of complete dominance, but some resistance would at least make it a bit more exciting.

He cast a suspicious glance over his surroundings and turned into an ally that would make for a nice shortcut to his destination. He fiddled with the knife at his side and thought back over the…intriguing conversation he'd had in this very same ally only hours before.

**Flashback**

"Naïve boy, what brings you to a dangerous place like this?" A cloaked figure greeted as he stepped out of the shadows and blocked Bakura's path. In his hand was a suitcase. Two men in similar cloaks followed obediently behind.

The tomb robber narrowed his eyes to slits. "You're in my way."

"You think it's wise to speak to me like that?" the figure asked with a chuckle. "You are outnumbered."

"Who are you?"

"I can be a loyal friend or a deadly foe depending how you view me."

Bakura snorted. "And I'm supposed to be afraid? Pathetic fool. I suggest you step aside if you don't have a death wish."

The man studied him for a moment. "You have spunk. I like that. Perhaps you can do something for me."

The two other men lunged forward, catching the skilled tomb robber off guard and grabbing his arms. Bakura struggled as the men forced him against a brick wall. "Fools! Take your hands off me, or I'll cut them off," he growled as his knife handle glinted dangerously. They looked hesitantly to their leader, and he nodded slightly, giving them consent to release him. They did so and took a few steps back.

"Now that I have your attention…" the cloaked stranger trailed off. Bakura couldn't see his face, but he was sure the man was smirking. "You see, my boss ordered me to kidnap a kid from the Domino High School this afternoon, but seeing as how I really don't like to get involved in that kind of thing, I was thinking maybe you could do it for me."

He grunted. "And what makes you think I'd do anything to help you?"

The man motioned toward the suitcase. "I'll give you $100,000 if you get the kid and bring him back here, _unharmed_, by 6:20 this evening. That's more than half of what my boss is payin' me. Sound like a deal?"

A smile tugged lightly at the tomb robber's lips. "You don'trealize who you're dealing with, do you? I have more power than you could ever dream. What makes you think I wouldn't just take the money now, and make the remainder of your existence a living nightmare?"

The man cocked his head and gave Bakura a wry smile. "I just figure people like us should stick together, you know?"

Bakura nodded slowly. _I suppose I can play along with this fool for the time being_. "Very well. I'll do it."

"Good. I'll be here with the money when you return. You'll get what you deserve after you finish the job."

**End Flashback**

Bakura grinned sadistically to himself as the left the narrow ally. He hadn't let his pathetic weaker half in on what he was planning. The boy was a lot more agreeable when he was oblivious as to what was going on.

He thought back again to his previous encounter. The cloaked fool shouldn't have trusted him so easily. He was after all, a professional thief and could easily tell when something was… off. He knew for a fact that the man had no intention of paying him once he finished his task. He had a feeling the next few hours were going to be interesting.

* * *

When the limo finally pulled up to the mansion Kaiba stepped out and gazed up at the dark, empty windows. It was only ten 'til six, which meant Mokuba wouldn't be home yet to greet him. He sighed and trudged up the front steps. He took out his house key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside; the feeling of being home brightened his mood only slightly. At least he was out of the rain. 

He pulled off his trench coat and hung it on the coat hanger to the left of the door. Then he wiped his shoes off on the rug and walked down the main hallway toward the kitchen to fix himself something to eat. He still had loads of work to finish tonight but he figured that could wait until later. He was in no mood for paperwork at the moment.

"Kaiba! Kaiba help! They're going to-"

He froze and strained his ears intently, quite sure he'd heard someone call out to him, though it had been somewhat muffled and distant. Every hair on his neck stood up on end. Something was wrong.

"PLEASE HELP, KAIBA! THEY'RE GOING TO HURT ME! THEY'LL KILL MO-"

Kaiba's head whipped around as he pinpointed the cry that was obviously female and sounded alarmingly familiar. He dropped his briefcase and dashed down the hall that branched out to his left. Another turn and he skidded to a halt. He wasn't sure where to go from there, and his eyes darted back and forth in search of anything out of the ordinary. He picked up scuff marks on the floor and his eyes traveled down the length of the hallway to a slightly open door at the end-his office.

The silhouettes of two bodies moving against the light pouring out in a thin stream were enough to set Kaiba off. He growled softly in his throat. Nobody, _nobody_ broke into his home without suffering sever consequences.

He barged into the room, startling its two male inhabitants. "What's going on in here!" he demanded furiously. Kazuma stared up at him with an unreadable expression while Yuko gave him a sly smile. Both men stayed silent. "You better provide me with a satisfactory answer before I really lose my patience," Kaiba growled. "Who are you and what the _hell_ are you doing in my house?"

"Kaiba, don't tell me you've forgotten me?" Yuko asked aghast. "I thought I left more of an impression than that."

Kaiba glared down at him. "Wait I _do_ remember you. You're Rakion Yuko."

Yuko smiled. "Excellent. I was starting to worry."

Kaiba glowered. "If you're here to bother me about merging companies again, you're wasting your time, Yuko. I've done research on your kind of business, and I still stand by what I said before. Your company's a worthless piece of trash that would only pull me down. Sorry, but I don't do business with pathetic wannabes like you. Now, get out before I throw you out."

Yuko tsked. "Wrong answer, Kaiba. I gave you a chance to come to, but since you're so deadbeat on refusing my offers I guess I have no other choice. I can't have you getting in my way, so I'm going to dismantle Kaiba Corporation by its main source. You."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Yuko?" Yuko smiled and moved aside, allowing Kaiba to see the figure lying on the ground behind him. Kaiba's eyes widened. "Tea!" He came to her side and kneeled down next to her. She didn't stir when he gently prodded her shoulder. He glared back up at Yuko. "What did you do to her, you snake?"

"Like I said," Yuko replied as he drew a gun from inside his coat. "The only way to get rid of your company is to get rid of you, or at least the source that drives you on. Your inspiration, if you will."

"You bastard," Kaiba growled as he moved closer to Tea. "If you hurt her, I swear I'll spend the rest of my life making _yours_ a living _hell_!"

Yuko laughed out loud. "You're too easy, Kaiba! You think her's is the only life I could get to you by? What about your little brother?"

Kaiba stiffened. "Don't you dare drag my Mokuba into this! This is between us. He's done nothing to you!"

"Neither has she," Yuko replied, pointing his gun at Tea for emphasis. "You think I really care?"

"You're sick, Yuko. You're a sick, desperate fool, and you need help."

"No, actually it has nothing to do with sickness, Kaiba. I'll do whatever it takes bring my business to the top, and you're the only thing standing in my way."

"You'd go through with this even if it meant hurting innocent people?"

"You're one to talk, Kaiba. Look at all the people you've hurt on your way to the top."

Kaiba grit his teeth in anger. "Never like you're about to."

Yuko laughed. "It seems I've hit a soft spot of yours, Kaiba. I wouldn't have expected that."

"That's enough! You're trying to blame me for what you're doing. Well, it's not going to work."

Yuko sighed in exasperation. "Think whatever you want, Kaiba." He turned his gaze to Tea's unconscious form and then back to Kaiba with an evil grin on his lips. "Kazuma," he said without taking his eyes of Kaiba, "call the police station and inform them that there's a body of a dead girl in the road outside the Kaiba mansion. I'm sure they'll be very interested to hear about it."

Kazuma glanced hesitantly over at Tea and nodded his head. "Yes, sir," he replied. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and strode for the door.

Before he could take more than four steps however, Kaiba had sprung onto his back with an amazing amount of agility and had an arm wrapped around his neck. Kazuma's head jerked back in shock, and he was forced down to the floor. "Your life's in my hands, now," Kaiba hissed in his ear. "I suggest you put down your phone and disregard the order that sleaze ball gave you."

"Kaiba, release my employee at once, or I'll blow a hole through this girl's head," Yuko said quietly. Kaiba could tell he was deadly serious. He dropped Kazuma in disgust and turned on Yuko instead. In one smooth movement he'd knocked the gun out of Yuko's hand.

He punched him in the face and sent him reeling backward. Then he kicked the gun away before Yuko could get his hands on it and had him up off the ground by the collar of his coat. "I'm warning you, Yuko," he growled. His breath was coming up short from the effort it took to keep his temper in check. "This isn't a game anymore. Leave Tea and my brother out of this or I swear I'll-----Oafff!"

He felt the solid impact of the butt of the gun against his head and fell forward. His eyes closed as he slumped to the ground. "Are you ok, sir?" Kazuma asked, standing over Kaiba with Yuko's gun in his hand.

Yuko coughed once and nodded. "Ah, yes. I'm fine now thanks to you."

Kazuma nodded and picked up his cell phone. "We're not really going to kill the girl, are we, boss?"

"No, that was just to get a rise out of Kaiba." He glanced over at Tea curiously. "Though…. we can still use her even though she wasn't initially part of the plan. Come. Kaiba will be awake in a few hours, and I still have some business to take care of."

Kazuma raised an eyebrow. "Business, sir?"

"Never mind, Kazuma." Yuko hoisted Tea over his shoulder and signaled the other man to follow him.

"Are you sure you want to do this, boss? Once we start we won't be able to go back."

"We've already started," Yuko replied. "Let's go, Kazuma."

"Pass the ball to Patrick, Ren, he's wide open. Good, stay with your man, Mokuba, he's getting ahead of you! That's better. Come on Joe, you don't need so many fancy moves; just shoot the ball!" The Domino Intermediate School Boy's Soccer Team was having an early practice at Domino High before its big game on Saturday. Unfortunately, they were forced to have the practice inside because of the storm, but that didn't stop their enjoyment. Mokuba Kaiba as well as every other boy on the team was running around having the time of his life. They were in it just to have fun, after all. Winning was second on their list of priorities. "Ok team, that about wraps it up. I want you take two cool down laps around the gym and then you can quite. Good practice today."

There was a chorus of groans at having to run, but that didn't dampen the mood much. They all spread out and began running.

By the time Mokuba was finished most of the other boys had already gone to the locker room. It wasn't that he was any slower than the rest of them, but he took his time running. He wasn't in much of a hurry to get back to the dreary old mansion where he'd be alone for awhile until Seto came home.

Mokuba grabbed his water bottle and took a long drink before wiping his face with a towel and starting off toward the boys' locker room.

He quickly changed into his regular clothes, deciding he'd rather shower when he got home. He slung his bag over his shoulder and left the school.

As he stood on the curb in the rain waiting for Roland to pick him up he heard a voice call out happily, "Hello, Mokuba!"

Mokuba looked up to notice a white haired boy heading his way. "Oh, hey. You're Yugi's friend, Bakura, right?"

The white haired boy chuckled softly. "Why, yes, I am. I didn't think you'd recognize me."

Mokuba smiled. "You were one of the finalists in the Battle City Tournament."

Ryou nodded then frowned in concern. "What are you doing out here in the rain, anyway?"

It was Mokuba's turn to frown. "I'm waiting for my driver to pick me up, but he's late." He cocked his head up at Ryou. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was passing by on my way home, and I noticed you sitting here all by yourself. Say, I know a place not too far from here where we could get out of the rain, at least until your driver comes. Come on, I'll show you."

Mokuba shrugged. "I guess it'd be better than staying here and getting drenched." He got up and began following Ryou through the school parking lot. The white haired boy led him to the sidewalk across the street and through a clump of trees. "Eh, Bakura?" he asked, "I can't really see the school from here…"

To his surprise Ryou began to chuckle very un-Ryou like. "That was the point." He whipped around and grabbed Mokuba's wrist in a vice grip.

"Bakura, stop! You're hurting me! Let go!" Mokuba begged, struggling to pull out of the white haired boy's iron grip.

"You trust too easily, foolish boy. It made my job far too simple."

Mokuba's eyes widened fearfully. "What are you doing? Help! Someone please help me!"

"Quiet!" The boy Mokuba had thought was Ryou Bakura reached into his pocket and pulled out a chloroform filled cloth. He pushed it against Mokuba's mouth and nose before the young boy could pull away. Mokuba shrieked in fear, but the sound was muted and he choked instead for breath. He gradually stopped resisting and slumped limply into the white haired boy's arms. Bakura eased him onto his back with a smirk. _It was time to collect his collateral_.

* * *

**Peneia Teke**: Well there ya have it! 

Is it just me, or do some of the lines Bakura says sound suspiciously like what Hiei from YuYu Hakusho would say? Hmm…….. Yeah, I got YuYu Hakusho: The Dark Tournament Saga for Christmas, and I've been watching it non stop lately. I think it's starting to affect my writing, lol.

Anyway, I kinda like the deal we had last time, so let's do it again! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll udpate!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Peneia Teke**: (peers around a corner) Let me just say that if you're compelled to kill me for such a long delay… um, you'll never find out what happens. Yeah! That's it!

_Note_: Bakura refers to Ryou as a 'container' because that's what Yugi and Ryou are sometimes called in the Japanese version, and I prefer that term over 'hikari', which isn't really used in either version.

_/Bakura talking to Ryou/ _

**Disclaimer**: Okay, I'll admit. I'm the soul creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! Yep… Hey look! A pig just flew by!

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

Kaiba slowly opened his eyes where he lay on the cold, wood floor of his office. He groaned and glanced around in a daze, unable to remember the events of the pass few hours. His head felt like it was being split in two, and he had to blink several times in order to clear his slightly blurred vision. It probably didn't help that the room was dark and the light outside had faded. _Was I drunk_?

He touched a sore spot on the back of his head gingerly with his fingertips but pain caused him to flinch, and he pulled back with a curse. _What the hell happened_? He slowly pulled himself off the floor but had to use the wall for support when the room began spinning dangerously around him. A sudden image of Tea being thrown to the ground played itself out in his head and caused his entire body to stiffen with realization. He hadn't been able to save her. She'd called to him for help, but he hadn't gotten there in time. He couldn't do a damn thing.

After Kaiba had gained enough stability to move properly on his own he stepped out into the hall and began walking toward the nearest staircase. There was no way he'd let Yuko get away with this. He'd rather die than let the mad man hurt Tea just for his sick, twisted amusement. The bastard was taking the coward's way out, hiding behind innocent bystanders that shouldn't have even been dragged into the whole ordeal in the first place.

The house was dark and quiet as Kaiba made his way downstairs, and it gave him an unsettling feeling. "Mokuba?" he called. His voice echoed throughout the empty mansion, receiving no answer. "Mokuba, where are you?" he tried again, louder. Again, only the silence rang out.

His head began pounding with an extra ferocity, and he groaned, putting a hand to his temple. His vision blurred, and the sound of blood rushing to his ears was deafening. Cursing under his breath, Kaiba staggered down the stairs and fumbled for a light switch. The sudden brightness made him wince but also helped him snap out of his stupor.

He opened the door to the garage and stepped out into the cool darkness, quickly noting the limo wasn't in its proper place. Kaiba paused. He knew Roland had left immediately to pick Mokuba up after leaving the mansion, but he should have been home by now-long ago. His wrist watch told him it was well passed one.

The sudden shrill ring of his cell phone made him twitch in surprise, and he shoved a hand into his pocket to retrieve it. He flipped it open and brought it to his ear. "Kaiba," he snapped coldly.

"……Big brother……"

Kaiba nearly dropped his phone. "Mokuba! Where _are_ you? Are you ok?"

Static on the other end cut off most of what Mokuba was trying to say. "I…where………man………going to…"

Kaiba held the phone close to his ear and leaned forward as if to better channel his brother's voice into his eardrum. "Mokuba? Can you hear me? Is someone trying to hurt you?"

"…… I'm scared, Seto."

The defeated tone in his voice made Kaiba's stomach drop. "No, no, _no_ don't give up on me now, kiddo, I'm going to find you! Damn it, no! _Mokuba_!" There was an odd shuffling sound, and another voice came on.

"Hello, Kaiba. Sleep well?"

"Yuko," he snarled. "What the hell have you done to my little brother!?"

"Nothing, right now, but that could change in an instant," came the cold reply.

"If you so much as hurt a hair on his head, I'll-"

"Not to sound rude,"the other interrupted bemusedly,"but you're not really in a position to be dishing out threats. Of course, if you absolutely feel the need to be uncivilized, I could always snap your little girl friend's neck, right here. It wouldn't take any effort at all. She's so delicate, you see."

_Tea_… Kaiba had to take a deep breath to keep his flaring temper in check. "Ok. I'm listening, Yuko. What is it you want?"

"I want us to play a little game."

Kaiba made an odd sound in the back of his throat as if unbelieving of the odd demand. "What _kind_ of a game?" he asked suspiciously.

He could hear the mad man chuckling softly in the background. "A strategic game, which I think you'll enjoy. It's called Watch Seto Kaiba Dismantle His Life with His Own Two Hands. It'll be a glorious end to all your magnificent achievements."

Kaiba blinked and stared at the phone as if it'd just grown antennae. "_What_? You're not making sense, Yuko. Quit your babbling and get to the point."

"I'd get to the point, if you'd stop interrupting,"the voice on the other line continued smoothly."Now... where was I? Oh, yes... You'll start by torching your mansion and watching it burn in front of you."

"What the...? You can't be serious!" Kaiba snapped. "I'm not setting my mansion on fire, you sick _bastard_! Do you even know who you're dealing with?! I swear to God when I find-"

"**If** you ever want to see your little brother alive again, I suggest you shut up and do damn well as I say."The threat was a soft snarl, causing Kaiba to lock his jaw in anger. He made no further attempts to interrupt. "Now, do you have a pad of paper? Because I'm going to give you some instructions."

"Just tell me," Kaiba growled. "I'll remember."

"Very well. Then listen carefully, this is what I want you to do…"

* * *

Ryou awoke to the sound of someone pounding against his front door. Confused and slightly alarmed, he glanced around, noting he was in his bed, still fully dressed but with no recollection of the last several hours. To his bewilderment his pockets were stuffed with hundred dollar bills. Automatically assuming his darker half had stolen the money, he attempted to reach out to him through their mind link. 

_Spirit?_ There was a sharp tingling at the back of his mind, which meant his darker half was either angry or extremely annoyed and neither meant good outcomes for Ryou if he wound up on Bakura's bad side. He decided to tread carefully. _What's going on?_

There was a long pause before he felt rather than heard the reply, though he didn't need words to know exactly what Bakura was implying. _/It's best to keep out of matters that don't concern you/_

Ryou flinched but decided to press on, the need for answers overpowering his fear. _Please…Where did all this come from?_

Deep in the recesses of his mind, he felt Bakura chuckle._ /Where indeed? Perhaps, I'll leave you to decide that for yourself/_

He ignored the remainder of Ryou's questions, and the white haired boy wisely dropped the topic, deciding instead to deal with the pressing matter outside. The pounding had gotten louder, and Ryou's heart began to race as he made his way down the stairs and opened the door.

"H-hello?" he asked hesitantly. He blinked and brought up a hand to shield his eyes when a light was shined directly in his face. Two policemen stood on his porch, both looking annoyed and uptight.

"…Are you Ryou Bakura?"

"Um, yes, I am," he said in confusion. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Why don't you step outside and answer a few questions for us?"

Ryou warily complied, closing the door behind him. "May I ask what this is all about?"

The policemen ignored him. "Where were you earlier this evening?"

Ryou's face went slightly pale. Where _had_ Bakura been that evening? "I'm afraid I can't completely recall, officer, but I imagine I was here like I usually am."

The first officer eyed him skeptically. "You don't remember?" He exchanged glances with his partner. "If you can't give us more information than that, we could have a real problem."

Ryou glanced nervously from one to the other. "Why? What's going on?"

"An anonymous source reported having seen you meandering around the high school with one of the Kaiba brothers. Does the name ring a bell?"

"Mind if we take a look inside?"

Ryou took a step back, fear etching his features. _God…what have you gotten us into this time, Spirit!_ "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," he said, "…b-but I'm sorry for any inconveniences I might have caused you." _They think I kidnapped, Kaiba? Am I going to jail?_

_/Not if they're dead…/_

The thought was just barely a whisper in the crevices of his mind, but Ryou knew it couldn't be ignored. He could feel his darker half's energy growing inside of him. _No! You can't!_ His hand went to his head and his body twitched as he struggled mentally for control. He reached behind him, groping for the door handle.

"Don't move!" one of the officers shouted, pulling his gun. "Get on the ground with your hands over your head!"

"No! Please!" Ryou gasped, "You must leave before I do something to harm you!"

"On the ground! Now!"

Suddenly, something happened that made the two men back away in fear. The white haired boy's odd ring began glowing, and he made a transformation before their eyes. He seemed to grow a few inches taller, his hair became longer and slightly jagged, and he glared at them in distaste through dark, narrowed eyes.

"He warned you," the new figure growled in a voice several octaves lower than the previous owner's. "And, unfortunately for you, I am not as forgiving as that pathetic fool. You should have run while you had the chance." His ring began glowing as the two cops pulled out their concealed weapons, and the silence of the outside was shattered by gunshots and flashes of light.

"What the hell!" one of the men yelled in panic after realizing his gun had no impact. "What are you?"

The white haired man allowed a slow smirk to spread across his face before responding, "Foolish mortals. I am the darkness and the darkness does not die." A bright eye began glowing on their foreheads. "But your fate, it seems, will be a bit different."

* * *

Half an hour later, Kaiba was half way to his destination. Yuko had made it clear that he'd kill Mokuba if Kaiba enlisted in any "outside help" and that he'd be checking up on him every few minutes. Kaiba had tried tracing the number Yuko had used, but its location came up as unknown. With Yuko's threat still heavy on his mind and with Kaiba being in the mood he was in it wasn't surprising that he almost missed the white haired figure that walked out in front of him. He slammed on the break, cursing under his breath and flung open the door. "What the hell were you thinking!" he shouted, storming around to the front of the car. "Do you realize how close I was to hitting you? You could have been killed! This is the reason insurance is so high today because morons like you don't know how to stay on the sidewalk!" 

For an instant the figure seemed to glare at him, but then he blinked and his expression changed to one of dazed confusion. "K-Kaiba?" He staggered a bit and Kaiba reached forward to grab his arm before he could fall.

"Here's a tip. Next time you decide to get smashed at one in the morning, have a friend drive you home so you don't end up in this situation… Wait, I know you. You're one of Yugi's little pals." Kaiba remembered this kid. He was the one who'd gone crazy on his blimp during the Battle City Tournament _and_ the one Yugi had wanted Kaiba to take to the hospital. Something about Shadow Realms and hocus pocus magic tricks...

The psycho kid wasn't listening. "Kaiba… you're here? But how… I thought you…"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What are you going on about?"

"…I thought you were gone."

He snorted. "Well, as you can see I'm standing right here, so there's no cause for alarm," he retorted sarcastically. _This kid's drunker than I thought. Either that or he's got some pretty serious issues. Not that it's any of my business_.

"But your limo… I found it on the side of the road…" _I don't understand. I thought for sure he was the one they were referring to... This doesn't make any sense_.

He felt the presence of Bakura almost before he'd finished the thought._ /Use your head. I took the younger Kaiba, not this fool/_

_Wait… You mean, Mokuba!_

_/If that's the name of Kaiba's sibling, then yes/_

_What?!_

"What?!?"

Ryou's eyes snapped back up to Kaiba's angry face. "It was t-that way…" He pointed with an index finger to annunciate the direction.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he grabbed Ryou by his collar, dragging him over to the passenger side of the car. "Get in," he ordered. The shaken boy quickly complied.

They drove in silence for several minutes, but the tension made it feel like several hours. Kaiba's knuckles had turned white from gripping the wheel so hard. "It's there," Ryou said suddenly, "Pull over." He got out while Kaiba grabbed a flashlight from his dashboard.

He scanned the beam out into the darkness, nearly overlooking the tire tracks that lead off the side off the road. "Shit," Kaiba muttered. He took off into the grass toward a cluster of trees, Ryou right on his heels, and his pulse began racing as the light fell on a familiar vehicle. The entire front end of the limo was smashed up against a tree, and shattered glass and small pieces of twisted metal lay everywhere. Kaiba paid them no mind as he sprinted toward the car, flashlight pointed ahead of him. "Mokuba! Mokuba, are you there!"

Light washed over a figure slumped forward in the driver seat, revealing him to be Roland. Kaiba reached out for his throat to check for a pulse. He had one, but it was weak. Cursing, Kaiba turned and shined the light through the back passenger windows. "Mokuba! Are you in there?" He kicked through an already partly shattered window and leaned in. There was no sign of the boy anywhere.

The CEO quickly grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and began dialing a number. "What are you doing?" Ryou asked quickly.

The desperate tone in his voice caused Kaiba to glance up. "I'm calling an ambulance. Roland needs to get to a hospital."

"You can't," Ryou said quietly, grabbing his wrist.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes coldly and shoved the white haired boy away. "You idiot. There's no telling how long Roland's been out here. He _needs_ to get to a hospital."

"I won't let you," Ryou hissed in an unnaturally dark tone.

Kaiba looked surprised for an instant; then began chuckling. "And here I thought all Yugi's friends were goodie goodies. How'd _you_ get associated with them?"

"I'm not a friend of little Yugi's," Ryou snapped. He blinked a few times and shook his head. "I-I'm sorry. Of course, you need to call for an ambulance. I don't know what came over me."

The tall CEO was looking at him funny. "…I'm not sure what your problem is, but maybe you should get some help." He held the phone to his ear.

"I'm just scared," Ryou admitted. "I think I might have done something terrible, and now I can't go back home."

"Hn, sure," Kaiba said distractedly. "It's not my problem."

"…It has to do with Mokuba…"

"……._WHAT_?"

* * *

**Peneia Teke**: … Yeah… Sorry about the Bakura's corny line… It reminded me of the Trix cereal commercials. "Silly rabbit! Trix are for kids!" 

Also, when I think of Kaiba's garage, I picture the kind of garage like at the airport or hospital or something… Well, maybe not _that_ big, but big enough that he can fit several cars and one or two limos in it.

If anyone still actually _reads_ this story, please send a review to let me know how I did!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Peneia Teke**: Wow. I can't believe it's been almost three years since my last update. It's crazy how the time flies. Um, all I can say is I hope this chapter is worth the wait.

I was asked in a review why Kaiba has high school classes with Yugi and the gang. Most high schools have at least some electives that any year can choose to take. It's not really unusual to find freshmen mixed in with higher grade levels. Besides, in the first episode you'll notice Kaiba sitting in the back of the room reading a book while Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Yugi are gathered around a desk playing duel monsters. I hope that answers your question.

_**IMPORTANT**_: If you're an olderish reader please reread chapter nine. Otherwise, you'll probably be confused about what's going on. That is all.

**Disclaimer**: How many times have we been over this?

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

Ryou shifted and stepped uneasily away from the livid form of Seto Kaiba towering over him, fear consuming his normally soft, brown eyes. "And what _exactly_ do you mean by that?" Kaiba asked in a voice much calmer than what he was currently feeling. He snapped the phone shut, emergency call forgotten.

"Well..." Ryou hesitated, "I'm, um, not sure. I can't remember..."

"…I see." The white haired boy was about to give a tentative nod when Kaiba's fist hit him square in the jaw, sending him sprawling onto his back. He gave a choked gasp as the air was knocked out of his lungs but could do nothing more as Kaiba swooped down on him and hoisted him up by the collar. "Maybe this'll jog your memory," he snapped, shaking him roughly. He slammed him against the door of the limo.

"Stop!" Ryou wheezed, grabbing hold of Kaiba's wrist with both hands. "Please! I can't... I can't breathe!"

"Are you working with him?! Where is he you stupid piece of shit!?" Kaiba bellowed, balling his hand into a fist and raising it threateningly above Ryou's head. "What have you done to my little brother?!"

"Kaiba, please!" Ryou whimpered in panic as blood flowed down his lip. "I don't _know_! Put me down!" His legs bumped helplessly against the door as he tried to find a foothold to ease the pressure around his neck. Finally, Kaiba's mouth turned down in disgust and without warning he dropped Ryou in an ungraceful heap on the ground.

Ryou rolled onto his back in the grass, squeezing his eyes shut as Kaiba loomed angrily over him. When nothing happened, he cracked open an eye and slowly pulled himself to a sitting position. As he rubbed his back where it'd been knocked by the car door he peered up warily at Kaiba who seemed less angry, his face now a mask of apathy. Neither said a word as they regarded each other until Kaiba turned his back on him and started back toward the car, trench coat flapping in the breeze. His voice was loud and clear as he addressed Ryou. "Get up if you don't want to be left behind."

Bakura fingered his collar uncomfortably before pulling himself to his feet and hurrying to catch up with Kaiba. "Wait! You mean… you're going to help me?"

"No. You're going to help me." Kaiba paused and turned slowly to face him. "Let me make it perfectly clear that I don't care what happens to you. I'm only doing this to benefit myself."

"What?"

Kaiba ignored his shocked expression and began an interrogation. "You said that you may have had a hand in my brother's disappearance and that you did something that's preventing you from returning home… I'm assuming the two are related?"

"Yes," Ryou replied, deciding it would be best to answer truthfully.

Kaiba shoved his hands into his coat pockets and began to pace. "Does this mean the police are involved?"

"…Well…" Ryou hesitated, thrown off by Kaiba's unease. "I suppose so. Two officers came around earlier asking if I'd seen him, though at the time I thought they were referring to you…"

"How much earlier?" Kaiba demanded.

The other teen flinched and took a step back. "I suppose… around an hour or so ago?"

Kaiba cursed softly and continued his pacing. "How the hell did they find out so fast? This could ruin everything…"

"I don't know, but they're dead, now." Ryou admitted. His voice shook slightly.

"What?"

"I didn't do it!" he replied defensively. "I mean I did... but..." He took a deep breath and started again. "There's a spirit that lives inside my ring. He takes possession of me. I swear it's the truth," he added to Kaiba's disbelieving expression. "He makes me do things; terrible, violent things. And he knows I can't remember, so he describes them in detail to me, afterwards. I-I can't make him stop."

"Have you ever considered throwing away the ring?" Kaiba asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've tried that, but it always manages to find its way back to me."

Kaiba ignored him, reaching a hand into his pocket to retrieve his buzzing cell phone. He scowled before flipping it open and turning away from Ryou. The person on the other end was obviously someone he had a great dislike for and several tense minutes dragged by in which Ryou thought the CEO was going to lose it, again.

When he finally snapped his phone shut the white haired teen knew better than to try to coax him into civilized conversation, given the fact that he seemed to be having a difficult enough time with his temper as it was. Instead, he stood awkwardly near the limo, sneaking sympathetic glances at Roland's unmoving body. Finally, Kaiba turned sharply on his heel and began stalking toward the car.

Ryou hesitated for only a moment, knowing he wouldn't get another invitation. "Wait, Kaiba," he called, hurrying after the CEO. "I'm coming with you."

"Fine, but until I find my brother, you're to do exactly as I say, got that?" The way he said it made Ryou feel as though his mere presence was a huge inconvenience for Kaiba, which in a way it probably was, but he couldn't really help that.

He gave a quick nod and asked, "What about that man in the limo? Aren't you calling for an ambulance?"

"It's been taken care of."

"Oh. Ok."

They both got in the convertible and Kaiba put it in reverse and stepped on the gas. The car shot backwards as he turned the wheel sharply in a u-turn. The car screeched as he slammed the stick into drive and floored it down the highway, leaving two long, black streaks where the wheels ground against pavement. Ryou grabbed his seatbelt and leaned stiffly into the seat, staring anxiously out the window. "So…" he trailed off, unsure what question he wanted answered first. "May I ask where exactly it is we're going?"

Kaiba didn't reply right away, so Ryou turned back to the window, thinking it'd be safer to let the subject drop. Kaiba, however, surprised him. "We're going to the Domino Market."

"What?"

"To the dilapidated warehouse behind it. I'm sure it's the idiot's idea of a clever hideout."

Ryou turned to look at Kaiba but couldn't judge from his expression how he was supposed to respond. Kaiba's face was as dark as ever. "I don't quite understand what's going on."

"Does the name Rakion Yuko sound familiar?" he asked but continued before Ryou could answer, "Probably not. Doesn't matter. He's the CEO of an electronics company. Or was, anyway, before he went on this idiotic escapade." Ryou was about to question the CEO further but was cut off, again. "He thought he could force my hand by having my little brother kidnapped, but he's just an idiot who doesn't know his head from his ass. There's no way I'll let him get away with what he's done."

They both fell silent after that, Ryou out of weariness and Kaiba because he had nothing further to say on the subject, but when the silence started to weigh down too heavily on the white haired teen he finally worked up the courage to ask, "What will happen?"

Kaiba's grip on the wheel tightened and Ryou noted his jaw clench just slightly. Why he felt the need to pick up such a trivial detail at a time like this was beyond him. "Nothing," Kaiba finally responded as evenly as he could. "As long as we play by his rules. Which reminds me," he added, "you're not even supposed to be here, so keep quiet when-"

As if on cue he was cut off by the ring tone of his cell. He pulled out the small device, and after giving Ryou a warning look, put it on speaker phone. "What is it?" he demanded gruffly.

"You know I don't like that tone, Kaiba," said a voice on the other end. "I was just doing a check up… you're taking quite a bit longer than I anticipated. Is there a problem or are you _trying_ to test my patience?"

"Everything's fine. I'm about five minutes away," Kaiba retorted, and Ryou took note of the sudden acceleration of the vehicle.

"Very well. I'll call back in ten minutes with your next set of instructions. You should have your supplies by then." There was a _beep_ and the line went dead.

Kaiba scoffed and stuck the phone back in his pocket. "Asshole."

"…What was that about?" Ryou finally asked. He'd been leaning in closer to Kaiba in hopes of getting a better reception of the conversation.

Kaiba gave him a sideways glance and curled his lip in a disgusted sneer. "That Yuko bastard has my brother."

Ryou gave a slow nod, eyebrow raised. "Yes, I think I caught that part."

"And he's sending me on a wild goose chase in exchange for his life," Kaiba snarled, eyes glued to the road. "Like a scavenger hunt by the criminally deranged."

"What sort of goose chase?" Ryou asked suspiciously.

"Guess you'll find out," he replied grimly. Neither said a word as Kaiba finally pulled into the parking lot of Domino Market, which despite its name wasn't a food market at all. It may have been at one time, but now it was simply a dilapidated old building being used for storage space. Kaiba took one of the side roads to the back lot where several warehouses were tucked away. It was much darker now that they were off the main road, and the only spotlight in the lot flickered whenever a breeze picked up. "Get down," Kaiba suddenly commanded as he stopped the car and turned off the engine. Ryou unbuckled himself and slid down into an uncomfortable position in the space under the glove compartment. "Don't let anyone see you," he warned, "I'll be right back."

The chilly night air wrapped itself around him as he stepped out and walked across the lot toward the one street lamp that was working. The idea of standing under a light in the middle of a dark parking lot didn't sit well with him, especially when his enemies had the upper hand. He may as well have been wearing a neon sign that flashed 'SETO KAIBA HERE' for as much good as it did to hide his identity. However, that had been one of Yuko's strict orders.

He crossed his arms over his chest but didn't have to wait long before the door to the nearest warehouse slowly opened and a dark figure emerged, cradling a large suitcase in his arms. He looked to be around 5'3" with a fairly thin body weight, though it was hard to tell judging from the black cloak he wore. He teetered toward Kaiba and dropped the case at his feet. "For Seto Kaiba," he said without looking Kaiba in the face, "from The Boss."

Kaiba grunted and nudged the case with his toe. He waited until the man had disappeared back into the warehouse before leaning over to peer inside. There was a fire extinguisher that smelled strongly of gasoline, an odd metal can, and a folded up piece of paper, which he assumed was from Yuko. Kaiba dragged the suitcase to the car and threw it into the backseat. Then he sat down without a word, staring straight ahead. Ryou ventured out from his hiding place and sat back down as well, glancing from Kaiba to the bag in the backseat. "What's in there?" he asked warily, nodding toward it.

Before Kaiba could reply, his cell went off, and he flipped it open with a low growl. "I have your shit, Yuko."

"Good, good," came the muffled reply. "Now, I want you to return home. Upload any work related items onto the disk drive I've provided for you. You'll find it in the inside pocket. Mark it as 'save' and put it in the mailbox when you're finished. I'll come by to pick it up later. Now, I'm sure you've figured out by now that I filled the extinguisher with gasoline. I want you to-"

"Wait, Yuko. Before I do this I want assurances that my brother and Tea Gardner are unharmed."

There was a slow exhaling of breath on the other end. "...I figured you'd say that. I'll put your brother on the line. _Do not_ ask any questions that could jeopardize this mission, understand?"

"Yes, put him on."

"You have five minutes."

There was a pause, and then Mokuba's voice came on. "Hi, Seto."

"Mokuba! Are you ok? Has he done anything to hurt you?!"

"No, I'm ok. What about you, Big Brother?"

Kaiba had never felt more relieved in his life. "Hey, don't worry about me. Where are you right now?"

Mokuba hesitated. "...I, um, can't tell you that, Seto."

"Right. Sorry. Listen, there are a few things I need to take care of, and then we'll be together, again. Ok?"

"I know. I heard what Mr. Yuko wants you to do."

Kaiba opened his mouth in surprise then closed it, again. He felt a wave of deep hatred toward Yuko for involving Mokuba when the boy should have been left in the dark. "Are you ok with that?"

"Sure, Big Brother. They're only material possessions. I just want you to be ok."

Kaiba smiled weakly despite himself. "You're a trooper, kid. We'll go out for ice cream after this, ok?

"Kay. Ritter's?"

"Whatever you want. Is Tea there with you?"

"Yeah, she's in the backseat. You want to talk to her?"

"Sure. Just for a minute."

"Ok. Here she is." There was a shuffle as the phone was exchanged.

"Kaiba? Are you there?"

"I'm here, Gardner."

The relief was evident in her voice when she said, "Thank, God! I woke up in some strange guy's van with Mokuba, and he was talking about using us as leverage, and-"

She was suddenly cut off as Yuko came back on. "I thought I told you not to ask too many questions?"

"I didn't," he snapped, "put her back on."

"You have one, minute."

"Sorry," Tea mumbled, sounding sheepish, "I guess I wasn't supposed to talk about that."

"That's ok. Is he treating you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess," she muttered. "He won't tell me what's going on, but he hasn't hurt either of us."

"Good. I'm going to find a way to get you two out of there. Just stay calm, and keep an eye on Mokuba."

"Of course, Kaiba."

"Tell him to listen to everything Yuko says."

"I will."

"And Tea..." He paused, unsure for a moment what to say. "Be careful."

"Time's up," Yuko interrupted. "You have your assurances. They're both safe and snug like bugs in a rug."

"Cut the crap, Yuko," Kaiba growled. "I'm tired of your games."

"Of course," came the smug reply, "Tell you what. As a reward for being such a good sport, I'll release one of these two after you accomplish your little task."

"Don't shit with me."

"Of course, not. I'll even let you choose."

"What's the catch?" Kaiba asked suspiciously. "You'll kill the one I don't choose?"

"Of course, not, you idiot," Yuko laughed. "What would be the point of that? But now that I think about it, you do seem to favor your brother to the girl. You can have her, instead."

"...If you hurt Mokuba in any way, I'll hunt you down and make you experience pain like you've never imagined. You'll be begging me to kill you by the time-"

"Kaiba, Kaiba, calm down. He'll remain safe unless you disobey my orders. Now, you have an hour to accomplish the task I've given you. The instructions are in the suitcase. Don't forget to upload your software onto the hard drive. Oh, and Kaiba, tell the boy sitting next to you that he can help too if he'd like."

Kaiba immediately stiffened, and Ryou's eyes widened in horror. "Now, hold on a minute," Kaiba started to say, but the line went dead before he could finish. "Damn it!" he shouted, banging his hands on the steering wheel. "He knows you're here. Look around for a camera. He must've bugged the car." They began searching and Ryou finally found it hidden beneath his seat. He rolled down the window and threw it out onto the pavement.

"Well, looks like I'm stuck until the end," Ryou murmured softly as Kaiba pulled out into the street.

Kaiba glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Listen, if you don't have to be a part of this, now's the time to get out."

But Ryou was already shaking his head. "I can't just leave, knowing what's going on. Especially since I'm the reason he has your brother."

Kaiba nodded solemnly and gripped the steering wheel tightly as he began to accelerate. "He told me he'd kill Mokuba if I involved anyone else in this, but he knows about you and that didn't piss him off. He obviously enjoys making up rules as he goes."

"Then what are we going to do?"

Kaiba threw him a sidelong glance, and the corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk. "We're going to beat him at his own game," he said, staring back out at the road, "by enlisting in the help of an old friend."

"You mean...?"

"That's right. We're going to find Yugi Mutou."

* * *

**Peneia Teke**: So there it is. I think the last section is a little choppy, but that could be 'cause I've been reading it over so much. Reviews are greatly appreciated!


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